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COLORBEARER OF ATHENS DIGGING THE DECADE

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DEC. 23 & 30, 2009 · VOL. 23 · NO. 51 · FREE

The Year in Review p. 8 · Top Local and National Releases p. 19 & p. 24 · New Year’s Eve Bands p. 30

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pub notes Block Party Yikes! There’s a controversy raging in Forest Heights (actually, the Tara Way sub-subdivision) that is a microcosm of a lot of stuff happening in our country today. A bunch of wellmeaning liberals are trying to build an affordable, eco-friendly, low-maintenance modern-design house in the middle of a one-street neighborhood dominated by ranch-style houses and a few, later “Craftsman-style” houses of the type that have defined new infill housing in Athens in recent years. Moreover, the builder, the Athens Land Trust, has a HUD grant for the project, and its intention is to facilitate home ownership for somebody who otherwise could not afford a home in an intown subdivision—the American dream.

The Land Trust group has been met by fierce opposition from the homeowners already living the dream on Tara Way. They object to the modern design and to the stigma of having a “low-income” house on their street that stands out like a sore thumb because it is so glaringly different from the other houses. And, of course, they resent the fact that this nonconforming structure is subsidized by the federal government instead of by an owner who earned her home the hard way.

That’s not even to mention the apprehensions some people have that the new owner won’t be “like us.”

So, there you have it: how would you feel if some holierthan-thou, government-backed group tried to build a weirdlooking house next door to you in spite of your neighborhood’s stated preference for houses that look just like the ones already there? You wouldn’t like it, especially if you hadn’t even met the new neighbors, yet.

On the other hand, suppose you It looks, well, are the Athens Land Trust, which a lot modern. of people in Athens are. You’ve got an admirable track record saving undeveloped land through conservation easements, but you realize that’s not doing anything to help solve the affordable housing crisis, a sub-crisis to the overall housing mess that has wreaked havoc among homeowners and would-be buyers alike.

Suppose you decide to do what you can with the resources available to you, one house and one family at a time? One of the primary aspects of “affordable” is in-town, near schools, on a bus line. Another aspect is a low-maintenance, “green” design that cuts down on heating, cooling and upkeep costs and conforms to the topography of the lot. The design that maximizes all these considerations doesn’t look like a 1970 ranch house nor a neo-1912 Craftsman bungalow. It looks, well, modern. You’re actually building two of these houses, the other already under construction a street away from Tara Way that already has a buyer and has met only minimal opposition.

The Tara Way homeowners have indicated that they’d be okay with the house if it were totally re-designed to look like the rest of their ranch houses, though they have also said that what they really want is for the Land Trust to turn the lot into a conservation easement that would remain vacant.

The Land Trust feels at this point that to go back and redesign the house would not only add to its expense, it would cut down on the whole point of building an ecologically sustainable house.

Meanwhile, this debate about neighborhood standards and housing-design philosophies has gotten ugly, with some shouting at meetings, threats of lawsuits, calls for the revocation of the Land Trust’s tax-exempt status, etc. The Land Trust, in turn, has dug in its heels in the belief that its Tara Way house contributes to the diversity called for in the Athens-Clarke County land use plan, and that once it is built and inhabited by real, carefully screened people, the new home will be an acceptable addition to a neighborhood already diverse in housing, economics and race.

This one is not over, and it may indeed go to court before it is settled. Meanwhile, the new house on Tara Way, before it is even built, has brought into sharp relief those competing American ideals of home ownership, property values, change, government intervention, giving a helping hand up, lessening impact on the environment and holding down costs through new technology.

The neighbors, at least the most vocal, don’t want it; and the Land Trust sees it as a line drawn in the pine straw that, should they retreat now, will mean the end of their efforts to promote affordable in-town housing. Stay tuned.

Pete McCommons editor@flagpole.com

THIS WEEK’S ISSUE: News & Features 2009 in Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 The Year That Was in Athens

The new City Dope attempts to make sense of the past 12 months.

2010: The Year in Preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Predictions Based on Likely Probabilities Generated by Flagpole Statisticians Find out ahead of time how everything will shake out locally in 2010.

Arts & Events Movie Pick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 2010 Preview

Drew lists his most anticipated releases of 2010.

The Reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

COVER DESIGN by Kelly Ruberto

Loose Change We Can Believe In

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A look at some of the Reader’s favorite books from 2009.

Music Cream of the Local Crop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Top Five Athens Albums of 2009 This list gets harder to make every year!

Decade Trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Ups and Downs in Local Music

Taking a closer look at our music scene’s strengths and shortcomings.

LETTERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 CAPITOL IMPACT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 ATHENS RISING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 MISCELLANY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 GEORGIA THEATRE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 YEAR IN REVIEW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 YEAR IN PREVIEW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 THE READER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 GRUB NOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 MOVIE DOPE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 MOVIE PICK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 FILM NOTEBOOK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

THREATS & PROMISES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 LOCAL BANDS OF THE DECADE. . . . . . . 18 TOP 5 ATHENS ALBUMS OF 2009 . . . . . 19 DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 NATIONAL RELEASES OF 2009 . . . . . . . 24 DECADE TRENDS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 THE CALENDAR!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 BULLETIN BOARD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 ART AROUND TOWN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 COMICS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 REALITY CHECK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 EVERYDAY PEOPLE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

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This week at Flagpole.COM  More “Best of ‘09” lists from our music writers!  Homedrone blogs through the holidays.  Keep up with local happenings with Calendar highlights.

 Adopt Me! Find a new friend at the Athens Area 

Humane Society.

And don’t forget the Guide to Athens for online listings of restaurants, hotels and bars.

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, Ryan Hall, Jacob Hunt, Missy Kulik, David Mack ADOPT ME Special Agent Cindy Jerrell CONTRIBUTORS Bryan Aiken, Charles-Ryan Barber, Christopher Benton, Hillary Brown, William Orten Carlton=Ort, Alex Dimitropoulos, Elaine Ely, Michael Gerber, Jennifer Gibson, Jeff Gore, Chris Hassiotis, Coy King, Gordon Lamb, Cathy Mong, John G. Nettles, Julia Reidy, Jordan Stepp, Jeff Tobias, Drew Wheeler, Kevan Williams CIRCULATION Charles Greenleaf, Harper Bridgers, Jimmy Courson, Swen Froemke, Anthony Gentilles WEB DESIGNER Ian Rickert ADVERTISING ASSISTANT Maggie Summers EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Erin Cork MUSIC INTERN Charlie Stafford ADVERTISING INTERNS Melanie Foster, Teresa Tamburello

VOLUME 23 ISSUE NUMBER 51

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 23 & 30, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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letters GENTLEMAN CHARLIE I just read Pub Notes for this week [Dec. 9]. Thank you for highlighting Charlie Burch, one of Athens’ finest citizens by anyone’s standards. Charlie has used his intelligence, intuition and talents to help hundreds if not thousands of us and our neighbors pursue our dreams. On top of that, I am sure that everyone who knows Charlie would agree that true gentleness is what is meant when we call him a gentleman.

Hue Henry Athens

LIAR’S PROMISES Bart King’s climate thing in Flagpole [Dec. 9]: “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…” This is when I stopped reading the article.

Huh? OK: here is a challenge. Anyone, anybody out there, please, that can find one thing that our president promised to do when elected—anything substantial that he has done, just let me know because I can’t find it.

Here is a list you can start with: just a few from the top of my head. We are still at war in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it is getting very big, with more war coming.

The troops are not “coming home,” ever, not even for Santa. We still have a Patriot Act. He now loves it and expanded it a whopping

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CONTACT US AT P.O. BOX 1027, ATHENS, GA 30603, LETTERS@FLAGPOLE.COM OR VIA THE “TALK BACK TO US” LINK AT FLAGPOLE.COM “180.” We are still in NAFTA/GATT. Campaign admitted it was “just rhetoric” before elected.

We still have Guantanamo. The “presidential order” started a “feasibility study.” We still “If Jesus was born today what gift would have C.I.A. rendition flights and bases all you take to Him?” over the world and still kidnap/torture. We A friend of mine posted this as her status still have to fight to read the legislation that on Facebook. One of her friends replied simthey pass in Washington: there is no “five ply, “My most cherished.” Certainly, this is an day” public discussion of bills on the Internet appropriate question and answer for a holiday before they vote in season deeply rooted D.C. in the story of Jesus “Gay rights”— the Christ.

BUMPERSTICKER OF THE WEEK: token words only.

A sad reality, in “Tax relief”—for my opinion, is that banks. “Banking if Jesus were born reform”—OMG: it’s today, skepticism too early to get my and narcissism would Thanks, Melinda. Send your sticker blood pressure up. prevail. sightings to letters@flagpole.com.

“Transparency in History today gov’t”—not… He is teaches, too, that the “worse than Nixon.” people of Jesus’ time Help the “working families,” “farmers,”—dribwere wrong to do the things they did to him. ble—the same old bag of beans every time.

Mob rule prevailed over reason. Pontius Pilate You get it: I will just stop here. tried reason, and he was denied by the cries These are a just a few things that he ferof the crowd. People were scared and heavily vently asserted would “end” when he became skeptical, and they squashed something they president. This list goes on and on. What has did not fully understand. he done “that you wanted,” Bart? Has he done In today’s fearful world climate, with terit? I doubt it, and if you think he did, you are rorism high on the minds of people dating probably wrong. Now, at what point do you back to 9/11, I wonder how people would say, “We have all been taken in by a bunch of respond to an Arab man claiming to be the gangsters from Chicago who took it away from Messiah. a bunch of gangsters from Texas?” At what I wonder how crowds would treat him point do you stop mentioning “promises” from today. Would it really be any different? Would a liar, Bart? Wake up. we cast aside our fears of the Middle East and Dave Oldaker whole-heartedly embrace the coming? Would Athens we trust a proclamation made by a people

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009

WHAT WOULD WE DO?

Feel Like a Kid Again, Drink Goat Milk

which, by far, the majority of Westerners do not trust? I wonder.

John Dolezal Jefferson

FARM THANKS Thanks for your article on the Athens Farmers’ Market [Pub Notes Nov. 11] and praise to those who made it possible like Craig Page, Jerry Nesmith and Donn Cooper, plus the farmers and volunteers. We are proud that Athens has produced such a fine and enjoyable market in just two years. I’m sure it will continue to improve.

I, like you, would like to see the market’s bounty available to those who are on food stamps or can’t afford the higher prices. They too have a right to “good, clean, fair food.” I hope the market organizers will consider how this can be done to benefit everyone.

Midge Leventry Slow Food Athens

THAT ORT! I am just plumb tickled that my old buddy Ort is back at his writin’ for y’all, and truth to tell, he’s better than ever. I got to laughing so hard at one of them columns about words that I dropped my MacBook and run over it with my tractor.

Sincerely Yours, J. Flester Philpot Double Hollow

capitol impact athens rising This has not been a happy holiday season for Republicans who hold the reins of power at Georgia’s Capitol. One after another, embarrassing scandals have thrown a harsh light on the ethical shortcomings of the state’s political leaders. The divorced wife of House Speaker Glenn Richardson went on TV and confirmed that, yes, those rumors you heard for the past three years were true. The speaker had a “full-out affair” with an Atlanta Gas Light lobbyist while he was sponsoring legislation that would benefit the gas company. It didn’t take long for pressure from within the House Republican ranks to force Richardson to step down as speaker.

The second in command, Speaker Pro Tem Mark Burkhalter, at first indicated he would step up and replace Richardson. On the day after Richardson quit, Burkhalter granted an interview to Lori Geary of WSB-TV and was aggressively questioned about his own conduct. Burkhalter stumbled through his answer to the most pointed question.

Geary: “No skeletons in your closet that we should be worried about: lobbyist affairs, or children out of wedlock, anything like that?”

Burkhalter: “Everybody’s going to say something out there. You know, I… I’m very comfortable in my own skin and, and, uh, I sleep just fine at night and, uh, no, you won’t see any, any innuendo like you’re referencing there.”

Three days after that interview was aired, Burkhalter abruptly told his colleagues he had changed his mind and wasn’t going to run for speaker after all.

A Carrollton newspaper and an Atlanta TV station reported that Rep. Mark Butler (R-Carrollton) had an affair that lasted more than two years with a woman who worked as a lobbyist for the University of West Georgia.

(In fairness to Butler, he was unmarried during his relationship with the university lobbyist.)

What’s Up in New Development

An Atlanta TV station then aired a report about Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, the Republican frontrunner for governor, attending the 2007 and 2008 Oscar ceremonies in Hollywood while an Atlanta doctor paid the expenses. The Atlanta doctor who picked up the tab for the trips had also asked Oxendine’s insurance department to help him in a dispute with a health insurance company.

After all of that bad publicity, which Democrats will mention at every opportunity during the 2010 election campaigns, you had to figure that at some point the Republicans would catch a break. That may have happened last week when House Republicans held a caucus to nominate the replacement for Richardson as speaker.

The two contenders for the position both had some personal baggage in their backgrounds.

Rep. Larry O’Neal (R-Bonaire), the real estate attorney for Gov. Sonny Perdue, was deeply involved in the passage of legislation in 2005 that gave Perdue a $100,000 tax break on some earlier property dealings.

Rep. David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge) had some major tax problems of his own a few years ago caused by an embezzling employee in his law firm. Ralston ordered a forensic audit of his books and then paid the delinquent taxes he owed.

Faced with a choice between O’Neal and Ralston, House Republicans picked Ralston to be the new speaker. “It’s a change message,” Ralston said after the vote. “It’s not business as usual anymore, and I think people will appreciate that.”

Shortly after Ralston was nominated to be the next speaker, the old speaker, Richardson, was seen running away from the capitol building with a TV reporter and camera crew in hot pursuit. That could be the surest indication of all that change really is on the horizon.

Tom Crawford

see page 16 for part two

The end of the decade is not only a time Normaltown into a second bustling district for top-10 lists; it’s also when we take the for nightlife. Vacant lots will disappear in census. At the moment there are just shy of single-family in-town neighborhoods, as 115,000 people in Athens-Clarke County, every hole of the urban fabric is filled in. up from 100,000 residents 10 years ago. It’s Urban parks will become essential: better likely that the the coming decade will see to plan now while these fragments can be a similar rate of growth. What’s also worth still linked together than to wait until it’s considering is that we may be seeing the too late. death throes of suburbanism in the form Once the last chicken plant closes, the of this recession, and that may affect the Railroad Arts District will become the number of people who move to urban areas, cultural heart of Athens: a trendy loft and including Athens. warehouse district, full of artists and musiHere’s a look at the numbers based on cians. It will be protected by various ordithe 2000 census and updated estimates. nances, easements and covenants to ensure Regionally speaking, the four-county Athens that Athens remains as vibrant and artsy Metropolitan Statistical Area is up to nearly as ever. Farther afield, the Eastside will be 190,000, having added roughly 23,000 people reinventing itself, struggling to retrofit over the last 10 years. Barrow and Jackson strip malls as urban neighborhoods. A third counties are the farthest fringe of suburbancollege-town environment will be created by ism for Atlanta and also serve as suburbs the UGA vet school, giving some vibrancy for Athens. These adjacent counties are not to the locale. Planners considering the part of the Athens MSA, but their popula2020s will be imagining how to fit another tions did increase by about 37,000 people.

60,000 people into the area, primarily Altogether, around 60,000 new folks turned through the redevelopment of the decayup in Athens or surrounding counties in the ing Atlanta Highway. A streetcar line will last decade. I’m willing to bet that rate of be in the works to serve the area and spur growth will hold for the most part, although redevelopment. some of the Sun Belt boom that made Barrow, Jackson and Oconee counties into the paradises they are will fade away.

Venturing into the hypothetical for a moment, I’m going to make two gross assumptions and consider their ramifications. The first is that the real estate industry is down, but not out, in Georgia. Atlanta mayoral candidate Lisa Borders described real estate being for Atlanta what cars were for Detroit; I’m willing to bet that this is still true, even if many developers got walloped in the last few years. The second is that the suburban lifestyle is beginning its inevitable decline, and that people are finally returning to the cities. Let’s assume that a large majority of our new 60,000-or-so residents are going to turn up in the urban portions of Athens proper; hell, let’s say 50,000 for laughs. This means we’ll need at least 20,000 new housing units. We’ll also need the space to employ these folks. Downtown is going to become a The Railroad Arts District could become the cultural heart of lot more dense. From Finley Street on Athens during the next decade. the west to the Oconee River on the east, and from Baxter on the south to the upper reaches of College Avenue, near The bottom line is that we aren’t preElizabeth Street, there will be townhouses, pared to house these people even though loft apartments, office buildings and storethey are likely coming. Our planning climate fronts with North Campus at their heart. is far too reactionary and weak to do what Enrollment at UGA might increase to 45,000, needs to be done. What we need is a proper not to mention other higher-education enter- public realm, and we need to stop praying prises in town. Commuter rail will finally that developers will build a useful grid of connect to Atlanta, drastically improving streets, or proper open spaces and parks for quality of life for people who psychologiour city. We need to work with the univercally or financially can no longer afford to sity to establish a strong urban edge around suffer hour-long drives both ways. This will the campus. We need true regional planning, further the shift of people away from places so that we can develop an integrated plan for like Arcade and Monroe and towards Athens. the area that puts the growth where it needs Five main streets will extend out from to be. We need to be ready for what’s coming. this dense core—Baxter, Broad, Prince, The economic lull is almost over and growth North and Oak—each lined with two- and is going to happen; if we don’t consider three-story buildings. Beechwood will carefully what that means, we’ll implode. become a second downtown core for Athens, The upside is that if we do look wisely at while a medical research district will develop the issues facing us now, we can mold that at the intersection of Hawthorne and Prince, potential mess into an amazingly rich and forming the three nodes of a streetcar loop special place and watch it happen overnight. linking the urban core together. The UGA Medical School will be in full swing, turning Kevan Williams athensrising@flagpole.com

DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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Dave Marr

GOP Wants Scandals Gone

miscellany Out and About Around Athens

Leather & Outdoor

Downtown

THE BEST STOCKING STUFFERS

Peace by Peace: This month, days before accepting his Nobel Peace Prize, President Obama outlined a strategy for the impossibly thorny situation in Afghanistan. On a plane last week, I sat beside a young man who will soon return to the Middle East for his third mandatory deployment as a military engineer. He had not reenlisted, he told me, because he felt that his troops were doing no good in Iraq; neither that infrastructure, nor democracy, can emerge from the current landscape of violence. I was not only dismayed to hear his story but, more unfortunately, unsurprised. From history courses, yoga teaching and frustrated personal endeavors, I have seen how little productive change arises from flailing energy. Back on the peaceful home front, here is my holiday wish and my resolution for a fresh decade, in the words of the song: “Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me.”

Settle Down: It may be a wives’ tale that suicides increase during the holiday season, but the winter blues are no joking matter. For many of us, December feels like a month of obligation, expectations and unrest. While I have been espousing holiday drinking, I realize that, in the winter, my wine consumption

better time? Indeed, we have deemed Jan. 1 the national day of change-making.

Get involved with a heartening project, like the Athens Humans Rights Festival or the Moore’s Ford Memorial Committee, which supports racial reconciliation in the area. For ideas on getting involved around town, see the Common Ground Athens website, and for extensive volunteer opportunities, browse the Hands on Northeast Georgia site. For some soul food, visit an unfamiliar church service; Oral Roberts may have been the end of an era, but Athens must have its share of charismatic religious leaders. And for more inspiration, visit the Carter Center in Atlanta; Georgia’s resident peacemaker was challenging the world again this month, calling for an end to violence against women through religion.

And then, of course, there are the weight loss resolutions. Find new workouts intimidating, or choices overwhelming? No more excuses. I did the research for you—recaps after the break.

If all else fails, clear your head with some fresh air. This week, I will visit several people who have taught me to think more deeply and to sit more quietly. None of their lessons comes to mind more frequently, though, than a mantra of Al-Anon (the best free therapy,

junkman's daughter's brother 458 e. clayton st 706.543.4454 mon-sat 11-7pm sun 12-6pm

Christy Bush Fogarino’s photography series “Soundtrack to Nothing” is at Ciné. becomes more medicinal than recreational.

And suddenly, I face insomnia—for me, a seasonal difficulty and a bellwether of emotional instability. At four in the morning, I am making holiday cards or bolting awake with a racing heart.

For some peace of mind, check out the Emotions Anonymous gatherings at the Unitarian Universalist Church, or meditate through the Mind Body Institute, the Athens Zen Group or the Red Lotus Institute. A massage with organic products at Urban Sanctuary or acupuncture at the Athens Wellness Clinic promises more than luxury.

And the therapists at the Healing Arts Centre bring many backgrounds to a comprehensive holistic approach.

Get Grounded: With a new year (and new decade) on the horizon, these are, for many, weeks of change. If only change were always pleasant. A friend in Athens wrote to me that his “sleeves are caked in the blood of transformation.” And while another Athenian suggests, “patience through the holidaze is best for new undertakings,” is there ever a

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009

many would say) that I first read in needlepoint on my grandmother’s wall: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

In Your Time Off: Pick up The Red Book, Jung’s essential (and just-published) psychological text. Drop by Ciné to see Christy Bush Fogarino’s “Soundtrack to Nothing,” black and white photographs of teenage music fans, on display through Jan. 15. For more images of teen concert-goers, and for more peace and love, rent Taking Woodstock, now out on DVD. Or, if you are craving just a bit of violence after the holiday cheer, grab Inglourious Basterds or District 9, perhaps my favorite movie of the year.

m

And Happy New Year’s!: All the kids may gather at the Chase St. Warehouses for “Midnight,” but I hope to be curled up by that time with my favorite girls, Mama and Rosie the dog. We will see about that.

Elaine Ely

Better Things Coming The Georgia Theatre’s Wilmot Greene Looks to the Future

“C

T

he settlement was a lot of money, especially for a guy who has never taken a vacation. “That would go a long way in Costa Rica,” he says. The land on which the shell remains is valuable. “I could sell the dirt and walk away.” Greene weighed the pros and cons: “I worked 15-hour days,

and when you have sold-out shows, like 20 great nights a year, it’s obvious everybody loved this place. But that’s not very often. The rest of the year you’re struggling to pay the bills.”

Then, the intangible values began mounting. “I thought, that’s been my home [since] long before I bought it. All my college memories are from here. And it was obvious the community wanted to bring it back, and that was kind of surprising to me.”

Greene says the Theatre was rife with stigmas when he purchased it five years ago.

“It was a shithole. There was always great music, but the place was not nice at all. The bathrooms were ridiculous. If you were in the Theatre and you had to pee, you just left.”

Greene laughs at the recollection of a student Charles-Ryan Barber

oming soon.” Those words, once heralding upcoming shows beneath the marquee at the Georgia Theatre, and the four-brick-thick walls on which they’re mounted, are about all that’s left of what was the premier musical venue in this part of Georgia, perhaps second only to Atlanta’s Fox Theatre in the entire state.

On a December Wednesday, as workers install the last steel reinforcement girders amidst blustery winds, building owner Wilmot Greene sits across the street at the Globe and speaks about the June 19 early-morning fire that gutted the Theatre and his guarded optimism for the 120-year-old structure’s renaissance: “coming soon.”

To realize that rebirth as not only a musical stage but also as a restaurant and fully functional club, Greene is looking at a $3 million investment. That’s on top of the $1.3 million Greene received from the insurance settlement, which covered slightly less than what he owed the bank on the property he purchased in October 2004.

“You assume it will allow you to build it back for what you paid,” Greene says of the amount of insurance he carried on the property. The reality, however, is that the building was built in 1889, and Greene has to figure in today’s construction costs, updated infrastructure and federal mandates such as those outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act. “The whole money thing is—the insurance is for ‘rebuilding costs.’ We can rebuild what was there, but if we did that, it would be illegal.

We couldn’t open the doors.”

For instance, the new Georgia Theatre will have 33 toilets. The only place for that many is in the old basement, which previously was used only for storage. There will be an elevator. Also new will be a three-tiered balcony on the mezzanine and a rooftop dressing room, office and restaurant featuring Chef Ken Manring of White Tiger Gourmet. “We used to be in a band together,” Greene says. “The cool thing is, and it’s kind of ironic: we’re going to smoke all our food. We’ll offer smoked chicken, pork and tofu” in sandwiches, wraps and salads.

“I’m not building it excessively,” Greene says. “I’m building it back to the minimum, but with some additional revenue streams possible. The restaurant and bar on the roof could be profitable on days when there are no shows.” It’s an expensive venture. “We’ve spent more than $200,000 just stabilizing the walls and for cleanup,” he says. “Insurance doesn’t pay for all that. I own the brand and the good will—it’s all the additional stuff that makes it expensive.”

In the six months since the fire—its cause was ruled undetermined but arson was ruled out—Greene suffered and grieved much like someone reeling after receiving news of a terminal illness. “At first I was just so devastated,” says Greene, who turned 39 one month after the fire. “For weeks there were so many tears; running around in circles; freaking out.

The first three weeks I have no memory. I didn’t sleep for six weeks.”

urinating in her purse rather than use the toilets. “There was another rumor that the beer made the drinker sick because of dirty draft lines. I was struggling to fight all that.” He says his profits went right back into renovations. “It was easier to list the things I hadn’t fixed than list the things I had.”

Greene is giving himself until March or early spring before approaching the bank for a loan. By that time, he says, he’ll know how fundraising has gone. To date, about $130,000 has been raised. He believes he will be all right if he can come out borrowing about what he was carrying before: about $1.5 million.

That means raising at least $1.5 million.

Greene knew he needed help organizing the theatre’s rebuilding efforts when benefit concerts cropped up immediately after the fire and he had no legal means of accepting charitable gifts. That’s where the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation in Atlanta stepped in and set up a foundation for donations earmarked for the theatre’s reconstruction. “I can’t buy beer with that money, but I can buy screws, concrete and steel,” Greene says.

“We took a group of staff members to review the situation, and they had valid historic goals, and the building was very important to downtown Athens,” says Georgia Trust President and CEO Mark C. McDonald.

McDonald says the Georgia Theatre is “located among a group of historic buildings that take up half a block of downtown Athens.

It’s one of the most intact college town blocks in America.”

He cites four reasons the Georgia Trust could back Greene’s efforts: “The block offers a rich tapestry of locally grown businesses and restaurants and music; the second reason is the building is important; the third is the cultural heritage is important to the musical history of our state; and the fourth compelling reason is, if we didn’t act, there was a significant chance we would lose that building and there might be a huge, gaping hole in the middle of downtown.”

McDonald says the trust ensures “any donation goes to the rebuilding of the Georgia Theatre, which is a public purpose because it preserves Georgia history.”

The Georgia Trust executive, who graduated from UGA, has a soft spot for the theatre because of his friendship with R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck: “I was there in the late ‘70s, early ‘80s, at a pretty good time, I think. We were on the same freshman floor. I was exposed to [R.E.M.] at an early time.”

Greene has spent months working with Davis Architects of Birmingham and with city planners. He is excited by future plans. “I think the people are going to be impressed.

It’s pretty fucking cool. Scott [Orvold], my manager and I have been going out to the tennis courts the past four months and chalking things out—making sure there’s enough space between the bar, things like that. We were limited by the footprint of the building, but we came up with a really cool design.

“We made it similar to the old theatre; we’ll have the old swooping curtains; the stage will be where it was, the bar roughly where it was; the balcony will be significantly better and the bathrooms significantly better.” The theatre’s old dressing rooms, he says, “were pretty much the worst in the country. If there is a blessing to this, it’s that we’ll have decent dressing rooms.”

G

reene says the loss of the theatre caused him deep despair and depression, but there is good news on that front, too. “My personal life is really in great shape,” he says. “Everybody owes Susan (Chase) a debt of gratitude” for keeping him on a steady keel. “We had dated a long time ago, and the fire brought us together again.”

Greene also got a puppy, named Muddy, from the shelter. “I’ve wanted a dog so bad.”

It’s all been part of his recovery. “At first, when I read online comments about me being a bad businessman, I thought, ‘Are they right?’ But I did what I was supposed to do.

The funny thing is, people assume because I own the theatre that I’m a millionaire.

Unfortunately, it’s not like that.”

Greene met with county commissioners last week, and the commission set its first meeting in January to vote on an easement for a fire escape in back of the theatre. “That’s the last part to be approved,” Greene says.

He hopes to have a grand re-opening on New Year’s Eve, 2010. “I’m putting myself through a lot of shit. It’s not making a lot of financial sense to me, but honestly, I think it’s the right thing to do. Good things will happen. That’s the way I have to think.”

Cathy Mong To make a tax-deductible donation, send checks to the GA Trust for Historic Preservation, 1516 Peachtree St. NW, Atlanta, GA, 30309, and write on the memo line: Georgia Theatre. To donate online, go to www.georgia trust.org/preservation/georgiatheatre.php.

TM

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7

2009 in Review The Year That Was in Athens

Winter

8

Spring NORML Busted; Prez, Too April Fools’ Day dawned with UGA students affiliated with the campus chapter of NORML (the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) appearing before the University Judiciary for violating university trademarks by using a drawing that depicted the Broad Street Arch and (sort of) the Hairy

watering and pressure washing echoing from numerous quarters in the region. The Upper Oconee Basin Water Authority voted to ask the state Environmental Protection Division for permission to do just that on Apr. 8. In Athens, though, higher-than-expected conservation levels over the previous year prompted proposals for increased water utility rates.

Also in early April, the ACC commission voted to approve an outdoor lighting ordinance that wrapped up years of work and wrangling on the initiative. Despite concerns that some provisions were not as stringent as might have been hoped, commissioners were, for the most part, glad to get an ordinance— of any kind—on the books.

Murder Most Foul On Apr. 25, university marketing professor George Zinkhan shot and killed Tom Tanner, Ben Teague, and Marie Bruce at a Saturday afternoon reunion of the Town and Gown theater group. Two other bystanders were wounded in the attack.

The community reeled with grief and shock, and for two weeks sat on edge while police searched for Zinkhan, who was thought to be still at large, until his body was discovered on May 9, in a shallow grave he concealed before killing himself.

Krysia Haag

A New President It would be difficult to begin a recap of the year 2009 with any event other than the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. No, it didn’t happen here, but many Athenians were—and many more of us knew people who were—among the self-pinching throngs that flocked to Washington for the momentous event on Jan. 20. One of those with privileged access to the proceedings was our own U.S. Representative Paul Broun, Jr., who two weeks earlier, in a gesture that perfectly illustrated his legislative approach, presided over the anointing with oil of a doorway Obama was to pass through at his swearing-in.

This act would signal the end of Broun’s even pretending to wish the new administration well, and also the beginning of a truly captivating year of Broun-watching for those of us who remain forever in awe of the congressman’s bizarre behavior.

The New Commissioners The year kicked off with some swearings-in around here, too, as Mike Hamby and Ed Robinson joined the Athens-Clarke County Commission on Jan. 6, replacing Elton Dodson and Carl Jordan, respectively. Robinson vowed to carry Jordan’s torch on passing an outdoor lighting ordinance, but the new superdistrict commissioner Hamby out-shined him, touting a list of 38 “new ideas to really move Athens forward.”

Nuçi’s Down, Deck Up A couple of stories that would grow more prominent as the year wore on were quietly rumbling in January as well. The ACC Board of Tax Assessors decided to appeal a Superior Court ruling that found the local non-profit Nuçi’s Space deserving of property tax-exempt status to the state Court of Appeals. And four Atlanta-area development firms lined up to submit proposals to partner with the county in the construction and operation of an enormous mixed-use parking deck structure that would surround the Georgia Theatre. The concept by Batson-Cook Development of Atlanta would win out, and plans to build the structure would continue throughout the year.

Economy Down Signs of the worsening economy were apparent in Athens, as long-established businesses Foxz Tavern, The Mean Bean in Five Points, and Zim’s Bagels all closed their doors early in the year. Noted with considerably more ambivalence was the disappearance of the compellingly garish, pseudo-Egyptian façade from the former Nuwabian building on Broad Street just west of downtown. Readers may be happy (or puzzled) to know that a piece of said façade has found a loving home in the Flagpole offices.

Snow Down, Too On Sunday, Mar. 1, over six inches of snow fell on the Classic City, the most in more than 20 years. The storm immobilized the city, causing widespread power outages which lasted for days in some areas. Streets downtown and throughout campus were littered with temporarily abandoned cars and SUVs, some in the middle of roadways. Resourceful Athenians gathered that night in frigid, candle-lit homes—the ones not damaged by falling limbs—to engage in that most time-honored of strategies for coping with severe weather: massive, group

alcohol consumption. Damage and debris from the storm was still being cleaned up in June.

Stimulus Stimulates As winter drew to a close, ACC staff made plans for an influx of millions of dollars in federal money through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that would be used for housing, transportation, police, homelessness prevention and a host of other programs. And commissioners moved toward a plan for dealing with the growing problem of blighted and boarded-up properties, speeding up the bureaucratic process of facilitating their sale or demolition.

Also on the commission’s plate: plans for raising downtown parking rates and fines, and the long-discussed lighting ordinance.

Washington, D.C., Jan. 20, 2009. Do you know these happy Athenians?

Dog mascot on t-shirts they had distributed in fall of 2008. The group ended up slapped with two years of probation, and the sacred symbols of the university were protected from defilement. No such luck for UGA President Michael Adams, who was mercilessly dissected in Rich Whitt’s 2009 book Behind the Hedges: Big Money and Power Politics at the University of Georgia. The headline for John G. Nettles’ Flagpole review branded it “An Epic Tale of Rank Douchebaggery.”

The Rains Came Meanwhile, back outside the hallowed halls of academia, communities across the state, such as ours, grappled with issues related to the transition from a years-long period of drought. Heavy rains had rivers running high, and the apparently abundant supply of water had calls for the lifting of restrictions on uses such as outdoor

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009

Schools Cut, Fares Up The flagging economy continued to affect Athens life, as decreased state funding led the Clarke County School District to announce in early spring that cost-reducing measures would include unpaid furloughs for some district employees, not filling some central-office positions, and the elimination of paraprofessionals (teaching assistants) from all first-grade classrooms.

Though the county’s cuts were less than the average of state school districts, the announcement was nonetheless extremely unpopular. In another difficult budgetary move, the ACC commission decided in May to increase city bus fares from $1.25 to $1.50.

Greenbelt: Who Cares? The issue of rezoning for the Oak Grove Development off Jefferson Road popped onto the public radar when it made its way onto the commission’s

June 2 voting session agenda. The zoning request included provisions for a strip mall with a big-box grocery store and drive-thru fast food restaurants, and re-opened old discussions about land use and development in Athens’ greenbelt. After some delays and hand-wringing on the commission—and much coverage in Flagpole—the request was approved in early July by a 7–3 vote.

A SAD LOSS States McCarter, an energetic and outspoken Athens-Clarke County commissioner from 2000 until his resignation in February 2007, died on May 25 after a long illness. Then-Flagpole City Editor Ben Emanuel called him “a strong neighborhood advocate” and “an active and accessible commissioner who made his mark on his Eastside district.”

Theatre Fire Another Athens institution was lost in the early-morning hours of June 19, when the interior and roof of the Georgia Theatre were destroyed by fire. The news of the fire prompted an immediate outpouring of support from the local and national music scenes, as well as the Athens community at large, and Theatre owner Wilmot Greene is well along in his plans to rebuild [see article in this issue].

Summer Feral Cats & Clouns There was distressing news from the Athens Area Humane Society in early summer when it announced that it would not renew its contract with the county to operate a shelter that accepted all cats, including unsocialized—and unadoptable—feral ones. ACC Animal Control doesn’t take them either, so vagabond felines in the county are now exactly where they always thought they were: on their own.

Paul Broun, Jr. continued his assault on reality—and on the reputations of his constituents—when he stood on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives and objected to cap-and-trade legislation by vigorously denying that man-made CO2 emissions are responsible for global warming. “Scientists all over this world say that the idea of human-induced climate change is one of the greatest hoaxes perpetrated out of the scientific community,” Broun declaimed to his barely tolerant colleagues. “It is a hoax. There is no scientific consensus.” He also said some really crazy stuff.

Green Scene Mayor Heidi Davison, in a July email to the 10 ACC commissioners, proposed that much of the money generated by the 2011 SPLOST, which will come up for referendum in 2010, could go towards maintaining and retrofitting existing buildings and facilities, rather than building new ones—making it “a green SPLOST.” Among those projects mentioned as possibilities by the mayor were “cool roofs” that reflect the sun’s heat, small neighborhood parks, rainwater recovery and solar panels at water treatment plants. Sounds good to Flagpole.

In related news, in August, the ACC commission approved a recommendation for the creation of a stakeholder group to create a new set of building standards for new and renovated private commercial construction. The new standards would be similar to those adopted five years ago for new county

Milk Bust Another October tempest government buildings, which follow LEED kicked up around the singularly unlikely green-building guidelines.

Dogs: Killer & KILLED As if the topic of… say it together: RAW MILK! When developments on feral cats weren’t bad Georgia Department of Agriculture officials showed up at Athens Locally Grown’s weekly enough news about animals, two awful stories Thursday food pick-up and seized about 100 involving dogs surfaced in mid-August. Sherry and Lothar Schweder were killed by a rovgallons of customer-ordered raw milk from ing pack of dogs near their rural Oglethorpe South Carolina, Athens’ local food community County home. The mauling generated national was instantly (or at least virally) thrown into news, and probably played a role in a less an uproar. The ag agents informed Locally devastatingly tragic incident mere days later Grown’s Eric Wagoner that his transporting the that nonetheless struck a powerful chord in milk across state lines was a federal crime, the community, when a police officer on rouordered the milk impounded over the weekend tine burglary patrol shot and killed a small pet (on Wagoner’s truck!), then came to his house dog in the street adjacent to its owners’ east the following Monday to watch him pour it all Athens home. out on the ground. The series of events has Furloughed Public school and uniinspired a flurry of activism around the issue versity teachers and staff got a bitter taste of raw milk, and remedies to the current situaof the aforementioned cuts in educational tion are being sought on a number of fronts. funding with the first round of furlough days Shortfall A more far-reaching alarm at the beginning of the academic year. Yes, rang out when County Manager Alan Reddish extra vacation days can be nice, but not when announced Oct. 13 that staff was projecting a those days “off” are formerly paid planning $1.4 million shortfall in the county’s general days immediately fund for fiscal year before the arrival of 2011. That, combined students in schools. with another $1 milA lot of teachers lion of estimated just went ahead and increases in SPLOST worked anyway—only 2005 project costs, for no money. would mean delays To Your for those projects, Health Paul Broun, cuts in services and Jr. was back in the personnel, increased local news after property taxes, or all his “Athens” town of the above. hall meeting—in Overturned Watkinsville, at 10 In early November a.m. on a Tuesday a Georgia Court of morning—in early Appeals panel overSeptember. Broun turned the Superior repeatedly referenced Court’s earlier ruling “his” health care that Nuçi’s Space was plan as a responsible, exempt from property free-market based taxes due to its nonalternative to the profit status because, The big supermarket wasn’t really on this site in June Democratic House the court found, the 2009; Flagpole put it there with our sophisticated bill, despite the fact charitable foundaimaging technology. But could it be soon? that his own protion uses its premises posed bill wouldn’t for “profit-making” be made available to the public until more enterprises like renting rehearsal spaces to than a month later. Athens progressives were bands and occasionally hosting weddings and having none of it, of course, and some of parties. This means the resource center is now them decided to take their dissent with the on the hook for some $10,000 in back propcongressman to the streets by forming the erty taxes, with that meter once again ticking. political action committee Pull the Plug on Nuçi’s Space is pursuing an appeal.

The Beat Goes On The closing weeks Paul Broun, Jr., aimed at unseating him in of 2009 have brought a number of lively 2010. issues to the fore, most of which remain ongoing concerns. Commissioners and citizens have asked how public art will be incorporated into the final design of the new parking deck.

Parking Ah, Fall. It’s the time longLikewise, plans for streetscape improvements suffering Southerners get long-sought succor to the block surrounding City Hall came under from the swelter. It’s the time when the natty increased scrutiny from the public before boots and jackets come out and downtown that project was put on hold for logistical Athens’ sidewalks are carpeted in gold with and budgetary reasons. The county’s fiscal gingko leaves. And this year, it was a time crunch has recently led the mayor and comto talk about parking. A lot. Late-blooming mission to delay completion of the full slate but impressively organized opposition to the of remaining SPLOST 2005 projects, including colossal, Georgia Theatre-wrapping, mixed-use a long-planned and much-needed diversion/ parking deck made the weeks leading up to work-release center to augment the overthe commission’s unanimous approval of its populated county jail. On the state level, schematic and financing plans interesting.

Governor Sonny Perdue’s Water Contingency That controversy gave way to well-founded Task Force is currently grappling with a loomspeculation that the deck’s advent could spur ing water supply crisis without giving much a hike in downtown metered parking rates to consideration to the two most promising as much as $2.50 per hour—an issue that will avenues to a solution: long-term conservalikely return to the fore in the spring, when tion and re-authorization of rights to draw the Athens Downtown Development Authority from Lake Lanier. And of course, United States is expected to review the meter rates again.

Representative Paul Broun, Jr. just won’t quit And the popular Jittery Joe’s Roasting Co. and acting like a jackass.

Tasting Room on East Broad Street sparked Here’s hoping your 2009 was one worth yet another high-profile parking flap when the toasting when the bubbly is poured next week. adjacent lot its owners rent for customer use And if for you the past year left something to turned out to be unsuitable for that purpose, be desired, take heart: there’s a new one right according to county regulations too complex around the corner. to explain here. That matter, too, looks to loom well into February, at least.

Dave Marr

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9

2010: The Year in Preview

Predictions Based on Likely Probabilities Generated by Flagpole Statisticians January

May

The Morris Publishing Gang, the Augusta-based empire that owns the Athens Banner-Herald along with other newspapers, TV stations, billboards, shoppers, blogspots, newsletters, chat rooms and assorted other media from Georgia to Alaska through Texas announces that it has successfully avoided bankruptcy. A corporate official, who did not want to be identified for fear of being forced to take a pay cut like the company’s working journalists, confirmed that financial shenanigans late last year have finally whittled Morris’ enormous debt load down to manageable proportions. Terming the maneuvers “the old switcheroo,” the official confirms that what has saved the company is not better journalism but convincing its creditors that it is too big to fail. The creditors have acquiesced in that assessment and agreed to a refinancing that gives them 50 cents on the dollar payable in Dubai promissory notes. The unnamed official says the Morris Gang is so elated with the success of this tactic that they are considering moving into Wall Street banking.

It’s back to the drawing boards after all for the new downtown parking deck. The architectural firm hired to design the new structure took note of citizen protests last fall concerning the size of the structure. ”When they put up those balloons to show how tall the deck will be,“ says a company spokesperson, ”that really got our attention.“ The spokesperson says city planners agree that they’ve been too conservative in their thinking. ”The sky’s the limit,“ she says. ”Since the protesters drew our attention to the size of the deck, we realize there’s nothing stopping us from making it at least as tall as the Fred Building. That way, when Fred Moorman buys the parking deck, as he certainly will, he can install a skyway, excuse me, a Fredway, between the two buildings so that he can walk across it and see all his downtown properties—that is, Fredville.

February After a tug-of-war between an Oconee County chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and an Athens group known as Cats Are the Best Underloved Things Today (CATBUTT), the cat lovers have succeeded in winning custody of the historic old red barn that has for several years been quietly moldering out on UGA property. While the Oconee group asked for time to figure out how to move the dilapidated structure, CATBUTT volunteers came up with a brilliant plan to disassemble the barn and walk it board by board over to Bishop Park, where our local progressive government has agreed to let it displace both the Athens Farmers’ Market and the tennis center. The reassembled barn will become a hotel for feral cats; the felines will be put to work preying on yard chickens in the area to keep down that illegal population. The cats will also be fed with raw milk confiscated from local farms.

March

June

Local tax assessors are flushed with success after winning their lawsuit against Nuçi’s Space, proving that the alleged musician-assistance non-profit is actually a giant sub-rosa corporation raking in vast sums from the sale of coffee and power bars. Now, the tax takers have turned their sights against another well regarded local landmark: The Tree That Owns Itself.

“The Tree can’t have it both ways,” a PR person for the tax assessors says. “Either the Tree is a property owner, or it’s not.

Ownership is nine-tenths of the law, or something like that; the county attorney can explain it. Why should this Tree just sit there all these years owning itself, yet paying no taxes?”

The flack went on to explain that the current difficult economic times make it imperative for the county to find every tax resource it can. The Board of Assessors is filing suit against the Tree for taxes going back to 1890, the year in which the Tree was deeded to itself. “If we win this suit,” the PR guy says, “this will make Nuçi’s Space look like chump change.”

July

Charlie Maddox announces that he is running for mayor—in 2014. “I’m already running for mayor in 2010,” Maddox says in a press conference held in his car, “and I announced for that race in 2006, so I thought I’d go ahead and make this 2014 announcement now, to stay ahead of the pack. Maddox is following a tradition established by former mayor Doc Eldridge of announcing early in order to try to scare off the competition.

Tax Commissioner Nancy Denson announced her candidacy for mayor more than a year ahead of the election, and several other candidates were already testing the waters last year for this fall’s election. The trend seems to be for earlier and earlier announcements. Just this week comes the news that a fifth grader at Chase Elementary has already announced her candidacy for mayor in 2022, ”when I grow up.“ That is, of course, not actually a requirement for mayoral eligibility.

The Classic Center has announced that it will use its SPLOST windfall to buy the adjacent Banner-Herald building and turn it into a hotel. “This is a natural fit for us,” a spokesperson for the Classic Center board says in a press release. “We desperately need our own hotel facilities. We lured the Hilton Garden Inn across the street by telling them we needed a hotel, but what we really need is our own hotel. The Morris Gang is looking to downsize, and they really don’t need such a large and fancy building anymore. So, it’s win-win.” The spokesperp says the deal will go through as soon as the Banner-Herald can move into retail space in the new, enlarged parking deck. A spokeswoman for the publisher of the Banner-Herald quoted him as saying that the Banner-Herald’s move to the parking deck is “exciting, entrepreneurial journalism that will take advantage of economies of scale and have plenty of parking and ready access to panhandling commissioners.”

April

August

Look for panhandling to increase downtown. After years of trying to discourage panhandlers and installing ”parking meters“ to syphon off the nickels and dimes of well meaning citizens that would otherwise have gone straight into an outstretched hand, the Athens-Clarke County Commission has done an about face. A new ordinance makes it legal for anybody to panhandle downtown as long as they hold elective office.

Passed on a motion by Commissioner Mike Hamby, the new law will, in effect, give ACC commissioners a monopoly on downtown panhandling. ”Considering all the options and looking at the state of local government revenues in this recession,“ Hamby says in a press release, ”we immediately saw that this is a revenue stream that we need in order to help balance the budget.“

As another academic year begins at the University of Georgia, President Mike Adams makes a surprise announcement that he will take a 50 percent pay cut in order to help fund better insurance for graduate student instructors. “You know,” Adams told a press conference yesterday, “I just sat down and went over everything, and I came to the conclusion that I didn’t really need $500,000 a year to make ends meet. I mean, I really do think the wife and I can scrape by on $250,000.

She’s not so sure, but I have pointed out to her that in addition to that, we still get the house allowance and the car allowance and the travel allowance and all that, so I really do believe we can make it, at least for a while, until all this blows over. Meanwhile, those kids work hard for the university, and, dang it, why shouldn’t they get adequate health care? I mean,

10

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009

if you look at it realistically, it’s better for the university if those who carry the heaviest teaching load are in good health, isn’t it? I mean, our professors have good insurance, and they don’t work nearly as hard as the grad students. Go figure.”

September

Congressman Paul Broun, Jr. (who has apparently dropped the Jr. from his name so that people will think the Paul Broun Parkway was named for him instead of for his father, Sen. Paul Broun, who actually did something for Athens) has announced that he believes he is making progress in his effort to wrest the National Bio-Terror Lab away from Kansas and back to Athens. At a press conference this week, Broun, Jr. said he is using every bit of his influence [sic!] in Washington to bring the lab back home. “The Democrat Party will try to tell you that health care for all Americans is a more important issue than bio-terror, but they’re commies and Nazis.” Broun, Jr. says he plans to have his Athens congressional office on the grounds of the bio-terror lab, so that the high security will protect him from this county’s large Democrat majority.

October The new “Athens Really Is Friendly to Business in Spite of What You Hear” initiative begins this week. The mayor and commission launched the campaign to combat persistent perceptions that Athens-Clarke County is unfriendly to business. “We just don’t know how anybody could have gotten that idea,” the mayor says. “We love business to death, especially small, independent, local businesses.” Offices for the new business-friendly campaign will be located in the former Jittery Joe’s Roasters building on East Broad Street, which had to move to Comer after the ACC planning department closed them down for using a parking lot not authorized by the city. The city has granted itself a variance so the new business-friendly offices can have parking.

November The University of Georgia this season took PETA’s suggestion and replaced the obsolete Uga line of bulldogs with an animatronic dog-like robot, which has proven to be at least as lively and interesting as the stolid, dull, expressionless bulldog. Now comes word that the university has done the same thing with the coach. A SpokesJock for the athletic association confirms that the “Coach Richt” we see on the sidelines is actually a very cleverly designed robot. “The real Coach Richt never shows any human emotion and speaks in monotone clichés,” the SportsJock says, “so it was really quite easy to program his replacement. You know, at $3 million-plus a year, we just can’t afford to have the real Richt out there in the sun and the rain. Of course with Robot Richt we could have a major short-circuiting problem if we beat Florida and the team dumped the ice water on the ’coach,’ but what are the odds of that happening?”

December The state Republican Party, in control of the governor’s office and both houses of the legislature, has finally had enough of the controversies surrounding its family-valuesoriented officials constantly being caught in bed with women not their wives. The party has announced a new policy designed to end the embarrassment. “From now on,” a party spokesperp announces, “the speaker and all legislative committee chairmen will be gay.” Asked how the party could come up with so many gay legislators to place in leadership roles, the spokesperp replied, “They have been there all along: we just didn’t ask, and they didn’t tell.”

Pete McCommons

william orten carlton = ort W

Athens of Yore: Hotels, Restaurants, Drug Stores, Etc. Downtown

ay back in 1912, there was a book written about this city entitled Strolls About Athens During the Early Seventies. Its author, Sylvanus Morris, L.L.D., lived from 1855 to 1929. (Obviously we’re talking 1870s here!)

Then Dean Of Men William Tate, who had arrived here as a freshman in 1919 and remained (in a multiplicity of capacities along the way) until his death in 1980, wrote his own version of, more a sequel to, Strolls, which he called Strolls Around Athens, which was published by The Athens Observer Press in 1975.

In a series of columns, “Athens of Yore,” which I wrote for the late, lamented Athens Observer (Athens indeed deserves another newspaper that good, even if it’s only a weekly) [Thanks a lot, Ort—Ed.], I expounded on my memories and places now disappeared. We hereby and herein re-begin that series, albeit interrupted by roughly 30 years. It is not quite my intention to write something akin to a modern update of Dean Tate’s updating of the original Strolls book, but in this merry ramble, I’d like to share with you a few oddments and remembrances of the Athens I have come to know and love, written extemporaneously, and with scant research.

The first thing I think of, oddly enough, is this tidbit: when I was a kid, Athens still had four downtown hotels. The Georgian was the “prestige” one, run by the Stiles family, and it’s still known as The Georgian, although it’s condos today. The Colonial (and earlier than that it had been The Commercial) was at 191 East Broad Street; this is office space now.

The Dixie Hotel was at the southeast corner of East Washington Street and North Jackson Street; it presently serves as law offices.

And the Bank Of America Building was The Holman Hotel (it had been built in 1902 as The Holman Office Building and renovated into a hotel). A fifth hotel, The Graham, had been upstairs next to where Wuxtry is now, occupying the second and third floors The Dixie Hotel of a relatively narrow brick building. In several old photos of the city, you can see “Graham Hotel” stenciled on the side of the top wall above an admonition to drink Coca-Cola. This was adjacent to the building Wuxtry is in, which is known as The Shackleford Building, and which served for some years (before my time) as Talmadge’s Wholesale Grocery. (All of this upstairsdom was offices when I was growing up; my friend Jim De La Perriere’s real estate office was there, first door on the left on the second floor.)

Up College Avenue hill from there was a two-story yellowbrick building, The Underwood Building, which housed Arrow Loan Co. and Sears, Roebuck’s Catalog Showroom (later to be Onion Dome East Imports—gad, what a store!) on the ground floor, with a billiard parlor, dentist’s office, and other rooms upstairs. Between the Shackleford and Underwood Buildings was The Palace Theatre; Marvin Warren was the manager when I was a kid. This was one of four downtown theatres: The Georgia (c’mon, y’all know where that is!), The Ritz at 340 East Broad Street (by my time it had been turned into I think it was Morris Held Paint Store and was recently a disco (The Ritz, was it?), and The Strand, which was on East Clayton Street, just down from The Holman Hotel. The Strand was remodeled into Grooh’s Department Store in my childhood memory, although I don’t remember having ever been in there in either incarnation.

As far as downtown drug stores go, I trade at the lone survivor, Horton’s Drug Store, which has been in its location since 1947. (The Rexall sign is still outside, but the affiliation is long gone.) Horton’s was, by the way, Reid Bros. Drug Store from 1909 until Doc Horton bought it in 1947. Other downtown pharmacies were Moon-Winn Drug Store (where Wuxtry is now); Crow’s Pharmacy (located on the northwest corner of East Clayton Street and North Jackson Street:

it was Foster’s Jewelers for years, but when it was Crow’s, there was a luncheonette—and the Odd Fellows’ Lodge met upstairs; then across from Crow’s was Citizen’s Pharmacy, run

by Howe L. Chandler. I still remember a WGAU announcer who was notorious for getting his tongue tangled who referred to the store in a live tag as “Phartizen’s Cimacy—and not once but twice! Apparently Doc Chandler took it in good humor, because the announcer remained at the station afterward.

And down on East Broad Street, just west of North Thomas Street (BB&T is there now) was Warren G. Smith & Son, which was both a pharmacy and a dime store. Good golly, Miss Molly: if you wanted any thingamajig or whatsadoodle or gizmo, they had it. Oh, I almost forgot: there was also Edwards’ Prescription Laboratory, located in the ground floor of the Southern Mutual Building (now The Fred Building), utilizing part of the space that had earlier been Costa’s Soda Fountain, which had closed about 1940. We traded with Doc Edwards and his successor Ben Lord when I was a child; I marveled at the large vials of colored water and the mosaic tile floors, which remain (although covered over).

Soft-serve ice cream was just as much a treat then as now.

Athens enjoyed the presence of the Dairy Queen on West Broad Street (now there’s also one on Oak Street), but we also had two locations of the locally owned Arctic Girl (oh, how I hope somebody photographed that sign!): one on West Broad Street at Hodgson Drive (it’s a BBQ place named Hollis Famous Ribs now) and the other on South Lumpkin Street beside Tanyard Branch, next to Choke’s Cleaners. The university acquired this land, so the Arctic Girl moved up to 510 Baxter Street; Choke’s relocated nearby. There were also three Tastee-Freez locations: one on Prince Avenue across from the Navy School (which used to be The State Normal School), one on North Avenue very close to where the perimeter came through, and the third on Oconee Street almost exactly where the perimeter crosses now: that location was run, in summers only, by Mr. & Mrs. Kirk, who spent their winters in Florida.

This brings me around to restaurants that are no longer in business. First and foremost, I think of Tony’s Restaurant, originally run by Tony Galis, on East Clayton Street.

Everything I ever ate there as a kid (and what a treat it was to have Sunday dinner there!) was excellent. My favorite thing to order on such occasions was turkey croquettes. In fact, when I was maybe nine or 10, I sang to my food, “Why do I love you, little croquette?” Needless to say, this bumfrazzled our server. Y’see, I was making a pun on a 1920s song entitled “Little Coquette,” made famous by Rudy Vallee or Carmen Lombardo or someone equally tin-megaphonious and suitably wavery. (I also made a pun about croquette mallets another time, which sent my father into paroxysms of laughter.)

Let’s see, I’m sure to leave a few places out, but ex-restaurantarily there were Dee Jones Café, the A. S. T. Restaurant, Essie’s Café, Alice’s Café, Pete Petropol’s, The Varsity and a

plethora more. Pete Petropol “put out a nice cheap lunch,” according to my dad: this place was at the eastern end of East Washington Street, on the North Thomas Street corner, south side, where the hotel is now. Essie’s was on East Broad Street between Wall and Thomas Streets, and Alice’s was on North Thomas Street at the corner of East Clayton Street. (I’ll write more about Alice’s Krazy Korner Kafe on another occasion.)

Next to the Clarke County Court House was an eatery named Square Deal Barbecue which unceremoniously blew itself to smithereens one day. My dad took me down and showed me the hole it left. “I’m glad you weren’t there at the time,” I remarked. He chuckled. I think the place was closed when it happened; I believe it was found to have been caused by a gas leak.

Bernstein’s Funeral Home was on East Broad Street where UGA business services holds forth today. Next to that was Sterchi Bros. Furniture. This had been Bernstein Furniture Co. in the past: it was not uncommon to find combination funeral-home/furniture-store businesses a generation ago; fact is, there are still some of these out there in hamlets in the likes of rural Illinois.

Bridges Funeral Home was on West Dougherty Street where the high rise apartments sit now (or just downhill from that) in an amazing old house. In those days, funeral homes offered ambulance service, and it was fairly common to hear the sirens going out. Another funeral home, long gone now, was McDorman’s, which was the old house at 220 Prince Avenue which is now across from The Grit.

The African-American funeral directors were downtown as well, save two: John T. Hurley had opened his new business, Hurley Funeral Home, on Athens Avenue in Newtown, and McWhorter Funeral Home operated in its present location on West Broad Street. In my youth, Mack & Payne Funeral Home (now removed to Nellie B. Avenue) was in the old Payne Building on West Washington Street, immediately adjacent to The Morton Theatre, which had ceased to show movies following a projection booth fire sometime around 1948. Mutual Funeral Home, run by Mr. John Winfrey, was just around the corner from the front of the Morton at 282 North Hull Street: this was later where The B-52s practiced; the mortuary had by then moved to its current Westside location, West Hancock and Glenhaven Avenues.

I remember an old tire place, or maybe a warehouse, on West Broad Street, that had an advertising sign of a yawning child carrying a candle and incongruously walking through a tire. The message read, “Time to retire,” and the sponsor was Fisk Tires. This would have been on West Broad just uphill from the bus depot, not far from another restaurant I forgot to mention: The Old South Restaurant. Miss Lula Blakely waitressed there for years, then moved to the Mayflower afterward. And I clearly remember eating at The Mayflower, too. I would be remiss if I left it out! I also remember The Davis Bros. Cafeteria at 171 College Avenue (this is The Grill now), which moved out on the Macon Highway; the 171 building then became The Wrangler Steak House for quite awhile, then it was Schlotzsky’s for a time fairly recently until its conversion to The Grill. (I’ll surely gallop on about the Wrangler on another occasion, podnuhs.)

Wind me up and I’ll spout forth again about banks, insurance agencies, other long-vanished businesses, trivia and the like. Downtown Athens, in business since the likes of 1801, is showing no signs of dying out today, and I intend to be around to chronicle some more of its stories. For now, though, I’ve done writ enough, so it’s (30.)

William Orten Carlton = ORT. Special Correspondent for Flagpole.

DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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LoOse Change We Can Believe In As I write this, President Obama has just been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the accomplishment of not being George W. Bush, thus beating out the six billion other people who managed the same feat. Don’t get me wrong—the president got my vote, much of my admiration and whole lot of my sympathy for the burden he inherited from the last administration, but I can’t help but recall that it took Jimmy Carter a quarter-century of tireless work and results before the king of Norway handed him his bling. Just saying.

In any case, we should look upon Obama’s award as one of the few high points in a year where half of us struggled to claw our way out of the depths of Satan’s armpit, while the other half tried to pull us back in. That we as a nation have managed to scrape up enough pocket change from the couch cushions to keep us in franks and beans and keep despair at bay by focusing our attentions on the death of Michael Jackson, the breakup of Jon and Kate, and Robert Pattinson’s scrawny hairless chest rather than the depressing facts of our real lives is a testament to our resilience, our resourcefulness and our heroically short attention spans. Go us.

This is my annual list of books I liked but didn’t include in the regular column. I didn’t get to read everything I wanted to, but I’m pretty pleased with what I did get to read and share with you folks, and here’s the rest of it.

bullshit on Larry the Cable Guy, holding forth on the sins of God and His more peculiar followers, or punching Bill O’Reilly in the nutsack, Cross’ bits and rants are so good they’ll make you forget to wipe.

The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes by Bryan Burrough (Penguin USA). If there’s one thing we’ve learned in the last decade of rampant corporate corruption, malfeasance and inevitable implosion, it’s that today’s tycoons are boring. Sure, there’s the occasional flake like Richard Branson or Donald Trump, who manages to find new ways to be tiresome with every passing year, but most of our modernday gilded douchebags are bland cyphers like Kenneth Lay and Dennis Kozlowski and, well, the Bushes. Yawn. Burrough, author of the seminal Barbarians at the Gate, takes us back to the heyday of the Texas oil boom, when the oilmen were larger and louder than life

Naked Lunch: 50th Anniversary Edition by William S. Burroughs (Grove/Atlantic). A slipcased hardcover edition that purports to reproduce the original text of Burroughs’ most famous novel. Of course, anyone who knows anything about Burroughs knows that he wrote Naked Lunch piecemeal, in fits and starts, and tinkered with it so much that any claim to “authoritative” text is suspect. Still, this is definitely worth having and reading several times. While over the years Kerouac has become quaint and Ginsberg has become required school reading, Burroughs’ nightmarish and darkly comic hellscape remains as dangerous, dense and challenging as ever.

Saga of the Swamp Thing, Books One and Two, by Alan Moore, Stephen Bissette and John Totleben (DC Comics). Even if he keeps refusing to attach his name to the film versions of his creations (Watchmen, V for Vendetta, From Hell and the unfortunate movie version of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), Alan Moore is getting his rockstar due from the larger non-geek public.

Thus DC has finally seen fit to release the work in which Moore made his bones in America, a throwaway horror comic about a man transformed into a swamp creature which, in one issue, Moore turned into a mind-blowing exploration of environmentalism, industrial terror and the nature of evil that lasted four years and opened up a new market for adult-oriented comics that gave us Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison, Warren Ellis and others.

I Drink for a Reason by David Cross (Grand Central). Cross (“Mr. Show,” “Arrested Development” and a whole bunch of other stuff) sells us his first book, standard practice for popular comedians, except this comedian is David Cross, which means his book is obscene, trenchant, unapologetic and really frigging funny. Whether he’s dealing with the loss of his hipster cred, calling

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009

and so were their hats. Burrough follows the four biggest names in old-school Big Oil— Cullen, Hunt, Murchison and Richardson— from their wildcat rise to their eventual fall, with every shady deal, extravagance and wretched excess along the way. A shamefully fun book.

3 Story: The Secret History of the Giant Man by Matt Kindt (Dark Horse). One of the best graphic novels—and by that I mean a graphic novel—I’ve read in a mighty long time, it’s the story of a boy who grows and keeps growing to colossal manhood, told by the three women in his life, his mother, his wife and his daughter. As Craig Pressgang continues to grow at the rate of roughly one foot per year, he tries to find love and contentment, and make a place in the world, only to find the people around him literally dwindling out of his grasp. Beautifully drawn and austerely written, Kindt takes what could have been a gimmick and instead renders a powerful study of alienation and loss. Highly recommended.

In the Footsteps of Marco Polo: A Companion to the Public Television Film by Drake Belliveau and Francis O’Connell (Rowman & Littlefield). Belliveau and O’Connell undertook a mad quest to trace the route of the

13th-century Italian explorer step by step.

Not an easy task considering that among the countries between Italy and China are modern-day Iran and Afghanistan. The PBS special was all right, but I found the book superior for Belliveau’s incredible photographs, which are worth lingering over and revisiting. The text is by turns fascinating, when the travelers describe the people they meet along the road, and wince-inducing, when they recreate dialogue between themselves, but as a whole the book is worth checking out.

The Levon Helm Midnight Ramble by Levon Helm and Paul LaRaia (Backbeat Books).

When the drummer (among other instruments) and vocalist for The Band developed throat cancer it was assumed that a brilliant musical career was over, but Helm is nothing if not stubborn and driven. Determined to beat the disease and get his voice back, Helm began to invite friends and family to his farm in upstate New York for late-night jam sessions. These sessions soon ballooned into full-blown concert events, which are documented here through Paul LaRaia’s photos.

Helm came back to produce some of the best music of his career (the album Dirt Farmer is a must-have), and the book is a chronicle of the powerful mojo of music and friends.

Wanted—Bear Cubs for My Children: One Hundred of the Weirdest Posts Ever Seen on Craigslist (and Their Responses) by Gary Fingercastle (Adams Media). Longing to do a little social experimentation but lack the necessary money, resources or Skinner boxes?

Look no further than the online Petri dish called craigslist. Fingercastle spent a great deal more time than is probably healthy posting fake and outrageous entries on the popular public-notice site just to see what kind of responses he could provoke. The results are amazing. Apparently there are people out there primed and ready to give tattoos to children, take cash up front to kick your roommate’s ass, become human crash-test dummies, and help a brother out with his sexual fantasy of becoming a human sandwich, giant slices of bread and gallons of mayonnaise and all. All I’ve ever gotten on craigslist was a couch. If only I’d known.

The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb

by R. Crumb (W.W. Norton). I’ve talked to many people who were weirded out by the concept of underground comics’ foremost artist taking a crack at the Old Testament, as if the very concept itself was subversive.

What’s interesting about Crumb’s literal and comprehensive (every word in the King James Version is included here, even the “begats”) rendition is that it only serves to illustrate how Genesis needs no help at all to be subversive and disturbing—the story of Lot alone is bizarre on any number of levels. For his part, Crumb treats his project as straight illustration and while the characters are done in Crumb’s distinctive style, there are no visual puns or dirty jokes (though this is definitely not for children), and the depth of illustrative detail is nothing short of stunning. Crumb picks and chooses his projects at his leisure, but when he commits, he commits big time, and the result is not just a Good Book but a great one.

John G. Nettles

grub notes Year-End Wrap-Up Oh, 2009, you brought us highlights and lowlights in food, and if you can be characterized by any one thing, it might be the devastation you visited upon authentic Latin restaurants in Athens. One seemed to shut its doors every week, from Sabor Latino to El Guanaco, Antojitos Salvadorenos and Tu Metapan, all of which closed and most of which were replaced with something far less interesting, if replaced at all. The two closings most likely to be felt by the community, though, were those of Zim’s Bagel Bakery and Café and Cookies & Co. Café, both of which offered something hard to find elsewhere in town and had put down serious roots. Pour one out for each of them and hope that we find something to replace them. But let’s move on to brighter news and what made 2009 an unexpectedly great year on the food scene.

If there’s one place that opened this year that I could eat at multiple times a week and never get tired of it, The Royal Peasant is that restaurant. Transforming The Mean Bean into a cozy little barroom, the English pub offers a small menu, but one that’s solid from top to bottom. Luke Harvey’s mashed potatoes alone sent me into some sort of Anton Ego-esque reverie about my childhood, and the two regular desserts (fruit crumble and navy rum pie) are amazingly simple and amazingly complex, simultaneously.

Similarly, the brand-new Farm Cart connected to and mostly located on the patio of Farm 255 downtown proved the same point and, I hope, will inspire other restaurateurs to put their own spin on the idea of mobile food, small menu, sustainable ingredients and the like. Pleasant surprise is the best emotion a critic can feel, better even than expectations met, and the cart’s few offerings have each supplied it and at low cost.

African Asian Jamaican Grocery, tucked inside an Eastside shopping center near the intersection of Gaines School and Lexington roads, was the best hidden treasure of the year.

With advance notice, the proprietress, Mrs. TT, will cook you darn near anything you want, but I’ve found it best to give her relatively free rein and to take her suggestions. Even Atlanta doesn’t have a whole lot of places to get West-African cuisine, often seen as challenging, but the flavors are both unique and worth taking a leap of faith on.

Ike & Jane was by far the cutest restaurant to open this past year, with a wealth of adorable detail lavished on everything.

I still think the doughnuts are better conceptually than execution-wise, but having a place to buy Luna Bakery’s breads seven days a week is marvelous, and the tasty little sandwiches and sides are far better than they need to be. It immediately developed a neighborhood feel and a strong following, with plenty of area folks stopping there nearly daily for a breakfast sandwich and a cup of coffee.

Tlaloc El Mexicano Restaurant replaced the above-mentioned Antojitos Salvadorenos, on Chase Street, and while it’s still not exactly the most friendly to outsiders (pretty much Spanish only; definitely cash only), it’s worth the effort for the marvelous authentic, home-cooking dishes and the incredibly low prices. The pupusas are just as good as they were before, if not better; the sandwiches are massive, soft, overstuffed and amazing; and the daily special should be investigated (you might end up with a fabulous plate of mole).

Butt Hutt provided in-town Athens with some of the best BBQ it’s had in my 13-plus years in town, with fall-off-the-bone ribs, vinegary sauces, a large array of sides (including addictive, dill-suffused potato salad), homemade and super-salty peanut brittle by the register and more. Its breakfast, consisting mostly of greasy, meaty biscuits, will repay your caloric investment with deliciousness.

A Tavola took over operating the fancy pizza oven at 237 Prince Avenue and proved that real Italian can exist in more than one place in this city. Its entrees are good, too, but the pizza’s really where you want to spend your time, and the owners have a real commitment to keeping the staff hopping. Will they make you a pie to go? They will, but they’re not going to let it sit around getting soggy while they wait on you either.

Standards!

Finally, The European Deli, on Atlanta Highway, continues to delight. Even at times when the shop, which has no sit-down dining, is out of everything you went in search of, what you find (hearty German rye bread that opens up your nostrils with a whiff; cute pickled gherkins; knockwurst from Patak’s in Atlanta) will awaken the Eastern European in your soul. It also seems like an ideal place to buy stocking-stuffers.

But what else? Harry’s Pig Shop was one of the more notable openings of the year, a project from the Epting family in the Homewood Hills Shopping Center that proves BBQ doesn’t have to be trashy, with a classy menu, a cute spin on all things pork and a family-friendly atmosphere that also incorporates beer.

Yay! Square One Fish Co., downtown, beautifully renovated its space, complete with a great patio, and offers a really great seafood-centric dinner and a jazz brunch. Highwire Lounge from the Trappeze folks, replaced Mercury downtown, and expanded the number of places in town offering mixologiststyle cocktails. Two-Story Coffeehouse did a lovely job in an old house in Five Points providing a place to get a cup of local roasting company 1000 Faces’ coffee; and Red Eye Coffee, in the Bottleworks on Prince, a place for serious coffee nerds (Chemex brewing to order only!), seems to be finding its audience after nearly a year in operation. The Georgian Southeastern Chop House opened downtown, in the former Trump’s, with a gorgeous space and a football-themed menu.

Uncle Otto’s became Keba Spitfire Grill and moved to the Eastside. DePalma’s moved from Homewood Hills to its new Timothy Road location. Tienda Los Amigos, by the chicken plant off Chase, made superlative tacos. Your Pie opened two new locations, one in Five Points and one downtown.

Also opening in 2009 and still open: Blue Sky and Barnette’s, two new downtown bars, the latter of which sells awesome BBQ pork sandwiches from Kelly’s for $3; Bump on a Log BBQ in the convenience store across from The Blind Pig; The Burger and Cheesesteak Factory on Prince, determined to clog your arteries; a second location of Choo Choo Japanese Korean Grill Express on Epps Bridge Parkway; Downhome Cooking Smokehouse BBQ; Fox’s Pizza Den #2 (also in the Epps Bridge area); The Gardenside Café at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia; Hollis Famous Ribs (with a chicken burger you should try); Inoko Sushi Express (in what was once Radio Shack on the Eastside); Kelly’s Authentic Jamaican Food (in its newest home, on Lumpkin); La Fiesta (the Eastside location, finally finished renovating after a devastating fire); Little Caesar’s #2 (by the Lexington Road Wal-Mart); Los Comales on Tallassee; Plantation Restaurant on the Eastside; Reds Southern Tavern and Saladworks downtown; Taqueria La Parrilla #2 (Watkinsville); Totonno’s Famous Meatballs (on Hawthorne, the most recent entry in this list); and Yo Spicy on Baxter.

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The National stopped offering breakfast, one of the saddest losses of the year, and the following restaurants closed: Angelo’s, The Basil Press, Broad Street Bar & Grill, Delightful Bitefuls, Ferrandos’, Floyd’s Grill, Fuel, JB’s Ribs and BBQ, Johnny’s Pizza (Epps Bridge Road), Kui Aura Hibachi and Grill, La Cazuela, The Mean Bean, MJ’s Fish Shack, Rosario’s Trattoria, Shishkabobby’s, Simply Meats, Tokyo Sushi Rock, Wild Wing Café and WOW Café & Wingery.

It was a rough year for the restaurant business, and 2010 may bring more of the same.

La Puerta del Sol still didn’t happen, but several new places are on the horizon: Langosh, a Hungarian restaurant in the heart of downtown; Yoguri, a frozen yogurt shop in the Cookies space at Clayton and College; and Chops and Hops, due to open in January in Le Maison Bleu’s space in the Town Center building in Watkinsville, promising, as its name suggests, steaks and beer. El Patron is coming to the old La Cazuela space. The Whiplash Cafe is set to inhabit 909 Broad Street. And, hopefully, Normal Bar will open its doors in Normaltown on Prince Avenue.

Come on 2010! Let’s replace our fallen Latin restaurants, continue to work on street food and expand the array of ethnic options in the area!

Hillary Brown food@flagpole.com

DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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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.

ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKQUEL (PG) More Alvin, Simon and Theodore as the Chipmunks go back to school and face off against the lovely Chipettes—Brittany, Eleanor and Jeannette. The famous voices of Justin Long, Jesse McCartney, Anna Faris, Christina Applegate and Amy Poehler are sped up until they are indistinguishable, which is more than you can say for Jason Lee, Zachary Levi (“Chuck”) and David Cross.

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 von 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, Stomp the Yard and Aaron Sorkin’s disappointing but good “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”) 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.

ASTRO BOY (PG) Osamu Tezuka’s groundbreaking manga series becomes a beautifully animated, not terribly memorable feature film. Astro Boy (v.

Freddie Highmore, Finding Neverland) was built by his “father,” Dr. Tenma (v. Nicolas Cage), after Tenma lost his son. Unable to replace Tenma’s human child as he was built to, Astro runs off in search of acceptance. He finds it after using his incredible powers to save the world, or at least the floating conurbation called Metro City. Director David Bowers (Flushed Away) crafts a pretty incredible looking non-Pixar, non-DreamWorks CG feature, but Astro Boy lacks the other Pixar/DreamWorks intangibles that leave a lasting impression on the ever-changing landscape of children’s entertainment.

AVATAR (PG-13) I am quite pumped—though not nearly stoked— for the return of self-proclaimed “King of the World” James Cameron. The astonishing auteur of Terminator, Aliens and Terminator 2: Judgment Day has not helmed a feature since his multiple Oscar winner, 1997’s titanic Titanic. In Avatar space marines must pacify a blue, alien warrior race so man can gobble up their valuable natural resource. I already have my IMAX 3D tickets; what about you? Starring Sam Worthington (Terminator: Salvation), Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez and Giovanni Ribisi.

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. With Arsenio Hall and “In Living Color”’s Tommy Davidson.

THE BLIND SIDE (PG-13) 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

This is not what I meant by room service. 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.

BROTHERS (R) Captain Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) is not only the perfect soldier; he is the perfect father and husband. If you ask Sam’s dad, Vietnam vet Hank, his elder son is a hero. But do not ask Hank about his other son, ex-con Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal). He has nothing good to say about him. After being redeployed to Afghanistan, Sam is declared KIA after his helicopter is shot down. His devastated wife Grace leans on her

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2012 (PG-13) 12:40, 6:45 Armored (PG-13) 3:55, 10:00 Avatar (PG-13) 12:00, 3:15, 6:30, 9:45 Avatar 3D (PG-13) 1:00, 4:30, 8:00 Blind Side (PG-13) 1:10, 4:10, 7:00, 9:45 Brothers (R) 4:10, 9:40 A Christmas Carol (PG) 1:55, 4:20, 7:05 Did You Hear About the Morgans? (PG-13) 1:50, 4:20, 7:10, 9:50 Everybody’s Fine (PG-13) 9:30 Fantastic Mr. Fox (PG) 1:45, 7:15 Invictus (PG-13) 1:05, 4:05, 7:05, 9:50 Precious (R) 1:30, 4:25, 7:20, 9:55 The Princess and the Frog (G) 12:30, 2:45, 5:00, 7:15, 9:35 The Twilight Saga: New Moon (PG-13) 1:15, 4:15, 7:05, 9:55

CARMIKE 12 (706-354-0016)

Current Carmike 12 movie times were unavailable at time of publication. Please call for updated times.

Avatar 3D (PG-13) 12:00, 1:00, 3:30, 4:30, 7:00, 8:00, 10:30 Avatar (PG-13) 12:00, 3:30, 7:00, 10:30 Blind Side (PG-13) 1:25, 4:20, 7:10, 10:00 The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (R) 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 9:50 Brothers (R) 1:55, 4:30, 7:10, 9:50 A Christmas Carol 3D (PG) 12:30, 2:50, 5:10, 7:30, 9:50

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Did You Hear About the Morgans (PG-13) 1:45, 4:00, 7:10, 9:45 Invictus (PG-13) 1:20, 4:15, 7:10, 10:00 Precious (R) 1:20, 3:50, 7:15, 9:45 The Princess and the Frog (G) 12:35, 2:50, 5:05, 7:20, 9:35 The Twilight Saga: New Moon (PG-13) 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 9:50

CINÉ (706-353-3343)

Ciné will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Due to production deadlines, Ciné movie times are only accurate through Dec. 31. Visit athenscine.com for updated times.

Red Cliff (R) 6:30, 9:30 (add’l times Sa. 12/26–Su. 12/27: 1:15) (no 9:30 show Su. 12/27 or Th. 12/31) (starts Sa. 12/27) The Road (R) 5:15, 7:30, 9:45 (no show Su. 12/27 or Th. 12/31) A Serious Man (R) 5:00, 7:15, 9:30 (new times Sa. 12/26: 4:15) (add’l times Sa. 12/26–Su. 12/27: 1:45)

GEORGIA SQUARE 5 (706-548-3426)

Due to production deadlines, Georgia Square Five movie times are only accurate through Dec. 24. Please call for updated times.

Astro Boy (PG) 12:40, 3:05, 5:20 Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (PG) 12:50, 3:00, 5:10, 7:50, 10:00 Couples Retreat (PG-13) 12:45, 4:30, 7:30, 10:05 Paranormal Activity (R) 12:55, 3:10, 5:25, 7:40, 9:50 Saw 6 (R) 12:35, 3:00, 5:15, 7:35, 9:55 The Stepfather (PG-13) 7:45, 10:10

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009

troubled brother-in-law, and Tommy helps her raise his nieces and remodels her pathetic kitchen. Then POW Sam comes back to life, and nothing is the same. I am a sucker for a good fraternal tale, and Brothers did not disappoint.

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 mul-

tiple 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.

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS (PG) When inventor Flint Lockwood (v. Bill Hader) devises a machine that delivers food, on order, from the heavens, the town of Chewandswallow rejoices. Kids will too, as Judi and Ron Barrett’s 1978 children’s classic comes to life on the screen. Parents, especially those who had to sit through July’s G-Force, won’t be disappointed either. The animation resembles every other high profile CG feature, but the 3D is top-notch.

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, 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 Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS? (PG-13) Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker play the Morgans, an unhappily married city couple relocated to the wilds of Wyoming after witnessing a murder. One can imagine they will rekindle their love affair once they have left behind the hustle and bustle of city living. Writer-director Marc Lawrence also helmed the Sandra Bullock vehicles, Miss Congeniality and Two Weeks Notice (which also starred Grant). With Sam Elliot and Mary Steenburgen as the local lawman and his gun-toting wife.

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 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.

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 (the excellent, Emmynominated 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.

THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS (PG-13) Inconsistent but always imaginative visionary Terry Gilliam (Brazil, 12 Monkeys) was dealt a blow when Doctor Parnassus star Heath Ledger died early last year. Scrambling to fill Ledger’s shoes, Gilliam cast several different actors—Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell—as transformations of Tony.

The film’s overlooked plot involves Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer)

attempting to save his 16-year-old daughter (Lily Cole) from the deal he made with the devil, Mr. Nick (Tom Waits), years earlier. I have no idea what to expect from this film.

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.

IT’S COMPLICATED (R) Writerdirector Nancy Meyers (Something’s Gotta Give) returns from The Holiday for another age-appropriate romantic comedy. Divorced Jane (Meryl Streep) embarks on an affair with her ex-husband, Jake (Alec Baldwin), currently married to the younger woman for whom he left Jane. The titular complications arrive in Adam (Steve Martin), an appealing architect Jane is also wooing. The R rating signifies a decided maturity in Meyers’ latest.

With Rita Wilson, John Krasinski (“The Office”), Hunter Parrish (“Weeds”) and Lake Bell.

THE LOVELY BONES (PG-13) Oscarwinning 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.

NINE (PG-13) Academy Award nominee Rob Marshall brought Chicago to the screen with resounding, awardwinning success. He now turns to the Tony Award-winning adaptation of Federico Fellini’s autobiographical film, 8 ½. Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Guido Contini, a famous film director struggling through a midlife crisis as he simultaneously tries to make a movie for which he cannot write the script and save his marriage. Michael Tolkin and the late Anthony Minghella adapted the Broadway book for film. With Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren, Kate Hudson and Fergie.

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.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (R) Micah and Katie (Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston) think their new house is haunted. Micah buys a fancy new camera to record the unusual things that go bump in the night. After a tedious 10 minutes or so, the movie reels you in like a marathon of “Ghost Hunters.”

With the help of a psychic, Micah and Katie discover the entity is not a ghost but a demon, and it is not the house that is being haunted. It is Katie.

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?

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG (G) An updated retelling of The Frog Prince, The Princess and the Frog boasts Disney’s newest addition to their Princess brand, the first AfricanAmerican Princess, Tiana. After years of pale Pixar imitations, animation needed a hand-drawn refresher, and who better to provide it than the studio that started the genre 72 years ago?

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) The Room might be the “Mona Lisa” of bad movies; its greatness lies in its mysterious smile, which a laughing Tommy Wiseau, the baffling “auteur,” trots out at the oddest moments.

SAW VI (R) Jigsaw AKA John Kramer (Tobin Bell) continues teaching moral lessons from beyond the grave thanks to Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor). The ethically corrective premise of Jigsaw’s games is undermined by the innocence of many of Saw VI’s victims. You’re really going to crush a janitor in a man-size vise for smoking, Jiggy? A gory, didactic, preachy polemic against the insurance biz, Saw VI is intensely dull.

A SERIOUS MAN (R) College physics professor Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) tries to be a serious man.

He winds up being more of an intimidated, infuriated man. 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. l SHERLOCK HOLMES (PG-13) This Guy Ritchie-ization of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous sleuth promises to be a lot of fun. Robert Downey, Jr. stars as a rather toner Sherlock Holmes than one may remember from the Basil Rathbone days. The casting of Jude Law as Dr. Watson should do wonders for the sidekick’s reputation as a ladies’ man. Rachel McAdams and the terrific Mark Strong star as the feisty love interest and the Big Bad, respectively.

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 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.

THE STEPFATHER (PG-13) The Stepfather stars Dylan Walsh as a man willing to kill for the perfect family.

Walsh’s five-season body of work on “Nip/Tuck” was a perfect audition reel to replace the original stepfather, Terry O’Quinn (“Lost”). The biggest problem with the new Stepfather is liking it feels like I’m cheating on the old (1987) one, a tense little thriller that didn’t need to be redone.

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.

THE YOUNG VICTORIA (PG) Emily Blunt stars as youthful monarch, Queen Victoria, in the turbulent early years of her reign. Rupert Friend stars as her enduring love, Prince Albert.

Blunt has already been nominated for a British Independent Film Award for Best Actress, and the overly British cast (Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent and Mark Strong) is particularly well-built. Jean-Marc Vallée directs a script from Oscar winner Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park).

Drew Wheeler

Music Exchange

DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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movie pick

film notebook

2010 PREVIEW

News of Athens’ Cinema Scene

My early peek at 2010 is bleaker than usual thanks to the writers’ strike. I can barely muster a tiny “meh” for most of them, and they’re still the pick of the announced litter.

Hopefully, some undiscovered gems will outshine most of these potential blockbusters.

Release dates are not set in stone.

10. The Book of Eli. The Hughes Brothers are hit-or-miss, but their postapocalyptic action flick looks so much like Fallout 3, the best videogame I’ve played in years, that I cannot wait to see it. (Jan. 15) 9. Toy Story 3. I want to be more excited about Pixar’s continuation of their first masterpiece, but I’m not. (June 18) 8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. The penultimate volume of Harry Potter’s magical (since Prisoner of Azkaban) cinematic saga finally arrives. (Nov. 19) 7. Shutter Island. A surprise addition after its late scratching from the 2009 schedule, Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of the highly recommended Dennis Lehane novel may not be Oscar-worthy, The A-Team but its atmospheric Mystic-Rivermeets-Silent-Hill trailer is gripping. (Feb. 19) 6. Alice in Wonderland. Tim Burton and Lewis Carroll’s trippy children’s classic is a match made in heaven. I just hope Burton doesn’t focus too heavily on star Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter. (Mar. 5) 5. Clash of the Titans. I cannot think of a beloved childhood movie I less expected to see remade than the schlocky Ray Harryhausen, Greek mythology mashup. This flick might ultimately disappoint, but I welcome the unexpected opportunity. (Mar. 26) 4. A Nightmare on Elm Street. With the casting of surging Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children, Watchmen) as burned child killer Freddy Krueger, this remake shot from a regrettably obvious nostalgia abuser is a

potentially superior successor to the flawed original. (Apr. 30) 3. Iron Man 2. My hunger for giant comicbook movies is almost sated, but I’m saving room for this sequel, which returns all the major creative players from the excellent first film (save the expendable Terrence Howard).

(May 7) 2. The Green Hornet. Now this is a superhero movie I can get behind. Wacky genius Michel Gondry directs a screenplay by Superbad and Pineapple Express funnymen Seth

Rogen and Evan Goldberg. Rogen stars as debonair newspaper publisher and crime fighter Britt Reid. With the support of Inglourious Basterds’ Christoph Waltz and Tom Wilkinson, this Hornet’s sting could be potent. Of course, the crazy talent could be so outside the box as to be poisonous. (Dec. 22) 1. The A-Team. Childhood wish fulfillment continues as those soldiers of fortune on the run from the military for “a crime they didn’t commit” return to help the unfortunate. Liam Neeson is Hannibal, Bradley Cooper is Face, District 9’s Sharlto Copley is Mad Murdoch and UFC fighter Rampage Jackson is B.A. Baracas.

My B.A. is already in a seat. (June 11) Drew Wheeler

Here’s a scary realization: there were almost twice as many movies I wish I’d seen in 2009 as those I actually saw. Due to a variety of complicating circumstances, I was less able to get out to (or sit in for) films this past year than I like to be. As an act of contrition, then, I’ll begin this year-end column with a listing of the top films of 2009 that I still need to see. Aside from airing out my guilty conscience, I hope this will function as a reminder of worthy things some of you may have missed, as well.

Tokyo Sonata, Revanche, Beeswax and Three Monkeys didn’t make it to Athens at all, or haven’t yet. Neither, I’m fairly sure, did The Girlfriend Experience, unless there was a quick stopover that I blinked and missed.

That was the case with Kathryn Bigelow’s

Catherine Deneuve in Arnaud Desplechin’s A Christmas Tale.

The Hurt Locker, which I kept expecting to come to Ciné. It had a hit and run engagement at Beechwood, then another at Georgia Square that I wasn’t aware of until it was over.

Pirate Radio didn’t last long enough for me to move it up my list of priorities; now I wish I had. Sin Nombre showed one night at Ciné; I missed that, too. As for The Class, Gomorrah, Ponyo, Sugar and Coraline, they all had local runs of a perfectly reasonable length, and I have no excuse for missing them. About half of these are out on video already, but I still haven’t gotten to them yet.

That’s the bad news. Thankfully, it gets better: 2009 was a year when Athens viewers had the opportunity to see a number of spectacular films, and many more very good ones.

Our local exhibitors should consider it a challenge to improve on that standard in 2010.

So, without further ado, here is my list of the top 10 films of 2009… that I saw.

1. A Christmas Tale Arnaud Desplechin’s family drama/black comedy is so many things at once I don’t know how to begin to describe it. Poignant, brutal, witty, brilliantly observed and filled with astonishing performances—

by Mathieu Amalric, Chiara Mastroianni and Catherine Deneuve, among a great many others—A Christmas Tale is a striking testament to the fully developed powers of its writer/ director. It’s the only film I saw this year that I’m sure I want to call a masterpiece.

2. Silent Light Watching Carlos Reygadas’ strange, lovely fable of faithfulness and infidelity in a secluded Mennonite community in Mexico is like adopting the perspective of an alien, but one endowed with a profound

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009

empathy for humanity. It’s a truly majestic film.

3. Wendy and Lucy Kelly Reichardt’s quiet, deceptively simple film achieves a realism that is simultaneously pedestrian and hauntingly poetic, which makes its conclusion the most devastating of any film I saw this year. It features yet another “breakout” performance from star Michelle Williams.

4. Goodbye Solo This makes it clear that Ramin Bahrani, like Reichardt, is one of America’s most promising emerging filmmakers. It’s a beautifully drawn dual portrait of two very different outsiders in the 21stcentury South.

5. Summer Hours The story of a family gently coming apart after the death of its matriarch, told through the disbursement of

its heirlooms, including a valuable art collection. Director Olivier Assayas imbues the objects themselves with a sense of understanding tinged with regret.

6. Hunger Visual artist Steve McQueen’s feature film debut is a dramatization of the final weeks in the life of I.R.A. hunger striker Bobby Sands that manages to be both abject and lyrical. I’m excited to see what McQueen does next.

7. Fantastic Mr. Fox This is low on the list because I’ve only seen it once, but if repeated viewings are as kind to it as they have been to Wes Anderson’s last few films, it will move up in a hurry. I’m a fan of Anderson’s, and Fantastic Mr. Fox bears his imprint as strongly as anything he’s done.

8. Lorna’s Silence Like Wendy and Lucy, the latest Dardenne brothers film is a neorealist (neo-neorealist?) examination of the corrosive effects of a dying economy on an aspiringly independent young woman.

Shattering.

9. Ché Steven Soderbergh released three movies last year, and that’s only counting the two free-standing, 135-minute halves of this epic as a single feature. This is the only one I’ve seen so far, and I’d probably list it here on principle even if it weren’t the deeply engaged, ground-level character study that it is.

10. Up I suppose every Pixar film is one of the 10 best of whatever year it’s released, so here’s this one. And seeing it in 3D at San Francisco’s gorgeous Castro Theatre may have been the most purely enjoyable film experience I had all year.

Dave Marr film@flagpole.com

threats & promises

THU. JAN. 14

Music News And Gossip

Staff Affection: A couple of changes happened recently over at Chase Park Transduction in the form of Asa Leffer (formerly of DARC Studio) and Daniel “Suny Lyons” Rickard both coming back into the fold as freelancers.

Leffer has been conducting sessions already and has several projects going, and Rickard traveled around and did some Indonesian field recordings but is most recently back from Portland, OR, where he completed a new album for Lovers. Also of note is the ongoing extended staff at Chase Park including Ben Allen (Gnarls Barkley), David Lowery (Camper Van Beethoven, Cracker), Brian Paulson (Slint, Wilco) and Bob Weston (Shellac, Volcano Suns). For more information on any of this, please see www.chaseparktransduction. com.

The HEAP To Get You Started: Bryan Howard’s band The HEAP will open for Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ at Atlanta venue the Tabernacle on Dec. 26.

Howard is longtime friends with the band and has played with Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ singer and guitarist Kevn Kinney in the Sun Tangled Angel Revival for almost a decade. In other news, The HEAP has begun working up some demos for a 2010 release, so more news on that as it happens. Head to www.myspace. com/gaheap for more info.

m

App-celerate: Joining the ranks of CNN, USA Today and People is R.E.M. and its fancy new iPhone application. The free program includes news updates, tour dates, a photo gallery, videos, a guide to various spots in Athens (via Google Maps) and more. It even allows fans to upload photos to Flickr, purchase stuff from iTunes and shop the R.E.M. store. Hell, I dunno. Give it a try. It’s free. But if you’re in a money-spending mood, pick up the band’s latest album Live at the Olympia. This is how I prefer my R.E.M. to be delivered.

But, as Long as You’re Downloading…: You may as well jump in the way-back machine and grab the 2001 release by BumbleBEAR Records, in association with Planting Seeds Records, titled Christmas Underground. It’s quite enjoyable and includes tracks from The Wee Turtles, Paula Kelley, The National

Splits, Astropop3, Miss July, Ashley Park, Seasick Crocodile, Patrick Carney, Bugs Eat Books and more. Although the record sold out upon its initial release, the label receives a lot of interest each year around this time so they finally decided just to give it away. Get yours via www.fairmountfair.com/bumbleBEAR.

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…And a Funky New Year: A new band (what else?) has formed in Athens named The Anthony Crane Project. Featuring (duh) Anthony Crane on vocals and guitar, Daniel Collins (Pigpen Studios) on guitar, Patrick Ferguson (Five Eight) on drums and Caus Morman on bass, the band is described as “seriously danceable, sexy and fun music.

Funky and soulful.” This descriptor comes from the person who told me about them and not the band itself, so maybe I’m totally lying, but I don’t think so. It is true, though, that almost no one has heard them yet because even though they’ve tracked an entire EP, there’s nothing online to check out. But haven’t you always dreamed of Ferguson playing you some sexy, funky jams? I know I have! So, if you really want to hear them right away, bug Collins over at www.pigpen studios.net.

Sign on the Line Which Is Dotted: The Drive-By Truckers have inked up with ATO Records and are now label-mates with Athens band The Whigs, as well as My Morning Jacket and Ben Kweller. It was also simultaneously announced that the band has completed its 10th full-length LP, The Big To-Do, to be released on Mar. 16, 2010.

The 13-track album was produced by local hero David Barbe. In other news, Potato Hole, the album Booker T. Jones (Booker T. & the MGs) recorded with the Truckers, has been nominated for a Grammy in the “Best Pop Instrumental Performance” category. You should probably congratulate the gang on all this when they play their three-night stand at the 40 Watt on Jan. 14–16. All other stuff is available over at www.drivebytruckers.com.

A Note on the News: I try to put something like this in here about once a year as a clarification for newcomers and a refresher for old-timers. Threats and Promises is made of two things: news and opinion. That is, Athens music news and my opinions about that news. Sometimes my opinion is all like “Right on! That’s great” and sometimes it’s more like “Wow. That’s pretty lame.” Those are the breaks. That said, I want everyone reading this to know that any and all local bands deserve credit for the time and effort they put into their projects. Do you have any idea how special it is to have a scene as large and creative as we do? Take a drive to Marietta or Alpharetta and see how much fun you have there. Exactly. So, to the bands, thanks for doing your part in this thing of ours. To the readers, thanks for coming back each week and letting me fill your gullet with all this stuff. Hope your holidays are great and that 2010 is everything you want it to be.

Gordon Lamb threatsandpromises@flagpole.com

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Authentic Mexican Food Cooked Fresh Daily

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Well, people, this is the last batch of promises and threats of 2009. Here’s to 2010 not forcing my hand into reporting any more bad news. Or, at least, to it occurring in a more measured way. This year was a rough one.

Thanks for continuing to look to this page year in and year out for your local music news.

I promise to keep bringing you as much as I can as honestly as I can. So feast one last time before we put 2009 to bed…

FRI. JAN. 15

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17

Top Five Local Bands of the Decade These Athenians Dominated the Aughts 1. Of Montreal

remaining resolutely Athenian (check the band’s frequent Nuçi’s Space benefits). [CH]

Just look at the album titles. In 2001, Of Montreal released Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse and last year hit with Skeletal Lamping. From twee to abstract in a decade’s time, with just one misstep (the relatively dull Aldhils Arboretum from ‘02) along the way. As Kevin Barnes turned his focus inward and unfettered his psychosexual playfulness over the past decade, a cute and good band became a great one. From the surprise breakout success of ‘04’s Satanic Panic in the Attic to the ‘07 masterwork Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, Barnes—solo on albums, recently, but backed by friends aplenty live—took his myriad influences and moved beyond them, distilling the sounds of Prince and David Bowie while retaining much of the Beatlesand-Kinks-influenced tunefulness of past albums. Barnes’ performances have been no less ambitious, finding common ground between rock show and performance art in ways no one else (except maybe for Lady Gaga, these days) is willing or able to pull off. But to see Of Montreal perform is not to engage as much as it is to witness; Barnes’ empty-eyed and matter-of-fact delivery is in contrast to the dreamlike absurdity of the live setting (ninjas! horses! nuns!) and subverts expectations at all times.

[Chris Hassiotis]

3. Dead Confederate From the band’s inauspicious beginnings as The Red Belly Band earlier this decade to their recent globetrotting expeditions, Dead Confederate has offered Athens the rare opportunity to watch a band grow from ambitious upstart to international force.

With its 2008 debut full-length, Wrecking Ball (Razor & Tie), Dead Confederate has won nearly unanimous critical praise, scoring a hefty share of radio play, blog buzz and appearances on late night television with

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2. Drive-By Truckers Over the past decade, the Drive-By Truckers haven’t been one of Athens’ best bands; they’ve been at least three or four of them! Co-founded in the mid-’90s

by Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley, the early Truckers were a somewhat schticky country-rock band with hints of potential. Come 2001, though, and the landmark album Southern Rock Opera elevated things to another level. A cultural study, a wise song cycle, a celebration of rock and roll, the album caught the ears of many who up until then had relegated Southern rock to backwater status. Over ensuing albums like Decoration Day and Brighter Than Creation’s Dark (the Truckers have released an album a year over the decade except for in ‘02 and ‘07), the band has seen constant shifts in lineup and songwriting membership, most notably the joining and leaving of Jason Isbell in ‘02 and ‘07, respectively. Sold-out local shows, massive national tours, collaborations with Southern greats like Bettye LaVette and Booker T. Jones, all while

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009

Conan and more. It would be easy enough for the band to rest on its laurels, but these guys never stop. Hometown shows are becoming increasingly rare as the band sets out on tour with acts like Dinosaur Jr. and Meat Puppets, hopping festival to festival during the summer.

With its original, snarling mix of classic rock and grunge, this distinctively Southern act has managed to bridge the gap between scenes in Athens with its commanding live show. Backlit and ominous, Dead Confederate continues to floor audiences with its precision and power. This is only the beginning.

[Michelle Gilzenrat]

4. The Whigs After receiving accolades from Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and just about every other music publication, it’s safe to say that The Whigs are about to conquer the world. But it didn’t always look that way. Though the band began in 2002 and shared the stage with local and national acts, early troubles with a major record label left a bad taste in the band’s mouth.

So, The Whigs recorded Give ‘Em All a Big Fat Lip and released it independently.

Then they signed to Dave Matthews’ ATO label and released it there. Original bassist Hank Sullivant soon left and started his own group Kuroma in 2006. The Whigs carried on, releasing the incredible Mission Control in 2008. The past year has been more than favorable for the band, with a gig at Madison Square Garden and tours with mega-act Kings of Leon. With their much adored mix of grunge, pop and straight-up rock The Whigs are on track to be THE next band out of Athens. [Jordan Stepp]

5. Vic Chesnutt Is there more valuable a thing Athenian than Vic Chesnutt?

Not only one of the country’s most literate and crafty songwriters, he’s an unpredictable and unorthodox performer, a consummate collaborator and a world-class wit. He’s a Southern man, through and through. He can veer from wallowing in miserable-ist tendencies to exulting in life’s joys, often in the same song. With over 20 years of public artistry under his belt, Vic also had some low points during the course of the last decade (the sappy Silver Lake, especially), but he started it strong (the sparse albums Merriment and Left to His Own Devices) and wrapped it up even stronger, constantly pushing his art and turning out album after devastating album with Elf Power, Jonathan Richman, Guy Picciotto and members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor. [CH]

Band to Watch: Beloved local pop act Modern Skirts is so, so close to really making it, but the group just isn’t quite there yet. Locally, there is no doubt these guys dominate—selling out every show and taking home Flagpole Music Awards year after year. And with the group’s most recent release, All of Us in Our Night, national press has finally begun to take notice, with mentions in magazines like Spin, Paste and Under the Radar over the past year.

But while the group took some respectable risks on its sophomore release, overall the Skirts have yet to really find their footing, struggling to find a balance between keen pop sensibility and creative edge. But rest assured, their time will come, and it’s coming soon. There is already a buzz building around their next project, and having watched their upward trajectory over the years, it’s clear Modern Skirts are due to break outside of their loving hometown very soon. [MG]

Cream of the Local Crop Top 5 Athens Albums of 2009 The brainchild of Will Cullen Hart and members of Neutral Milk Hotel, Signal Morning was recorded over the years and then pieced together with tender care. It was well worth the eight-year wait. Equal parts experimental and accessible, the record consists of soundtracks to films that never existed. A cinematic tour of sound awaits anyone who listens to this album with their eyes wide shut. This is imagination run wild. [Jordan Stepp]

Pride Parade

The only thing this record doesn’t have is predictability; it’s hard to know if the sick, bass-laden song you’re grooving to will stay that way or switch in the middle to an offbeat psychedelic meltdown. Modern Silence is a treasure-hunt of an album that offers a great payoff. [JS]

Dose With howling ferocity, Pride Parade stormed back on the scene with this provocative sophomore album. Singer Andrew Prater is relentless, punching, pummeling, screaming his way through nine sludgy, grungy rock songs.

Harvey Milk’s Kyle Spence twiddled the knobs on this one, and he effectively showcased this five-piece’s grueling three-guitar attack.

It’s easy to be weighed down by such a loud, large lineup, but despite its density, Dose is efficient and urgent throughout. The songs may be mean and dirty, but the recordings are clean, precise and deadly serious.

While the influences can be picked out easily—the sardonic defeatism of grunge, the bluesy riffs of classic rock—Dose bends those steel rods into a leaner, meaner machine.

What’s more, the band continues to graciously offer up these tunes for free at www.pride parademusic.com. What are you waiting for?

[Michelle Gilzenrat]

Signal Morning has a harder edge than Circulatory System’s previous works.

Everything is fuzzy and full of sound but little pieces of melody bleed through. Vocals shift in and out of focus, adding sweetness to an abrasive onslaught of distorted sounds.

The horn sections, an Elephant 6 staple, are superbly done, pulling together parts of songs and making sense of potential madness.

!

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White Flag The University of Georgia turns out some decent academic thought, but what we need right now is for a sociology student or somesuch to take a long hard look at our country and write a dissertation on exactly what the fuck is the problem with this nation that Madeline Adams is not one of the betterknown songwriters around. That same could be said about many underappreciated talents, but it’s especially true of the native Athenian with the gorgeous, arresting voice. Of course, Madeline has always kept things DIY and has only recently tapped into the big national complex of publicity, booking agents and all that. Fly that White Flag high, then, Madeline, because the album released earlier this year reflects a songwriter with all of her many strengths on display, delivering pointed observations and witty wordplay uncomplicated by maudlin emotion and accompanied for the first time by a full band. [Chris Hassiotis]

Modern Silence Signal Morning

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Casper and the Cookies Circulatory System

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Mixing many styles of music could end badly for most bands, but Casper and the Cookies do it well and with style on Modern Silence. Jumping easily from fuzzed-out rock to weeping ballad to mambo, the entire record is a collection of quirky pop rock that is guaranteed to make you laugh, dance and wonder what all of the insect references are about.

The brainchild of Jason NeSmith and his merry band of Athens music veterans, Modern Silence is some 70 minutes of fascinating melodies and catchy tunes. The last track features 35 different artists, none of them members of the band. How’s that for a surprise?

Patterson Hood Murdering Oscar (and Other Love Songs) If you head east down Broad Street these days, you’ll find “luxury” condos aplenty— didn’t use to be the case. Rewind to earlier this decade, and Weaver D’s was about the only bright point between the train tracks and the river. There was a chicken-feed plant and a set of sketchy apartments, among other run-down and overgrown places. Athens was a little rougher a while back; Patterson Hood, local-boy-made-good as the mouth of the Drive-By Truckers, knows that area well, and his tunes were a little rougher, too. Written over the past 15 years and recorded back in ‘05, for the most part, Murdering Oscar spent years in limbo due to music-biz mumbo jumbo and contracts, but this year the disc saw its release. It’s from that less polished time, with Hood’s storytelling intact but stripped down, rawer, rougher, tougher. That many of his pals, DBT and otherwise, sit in on the album doesn’t distract from the intimate, personal feel of a man singing songs while sitting on the verge of a lot of things: national acclaim, fatherhood, adulthood. [CH] For a comprehensive list of all local releases from 2009, visit www.flagpole.com.

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21

The Decade You Listened to Too Much Music The Rise of Digital Distribution in the ‘00s

F

at-chance motel finding My Bloody Valentine’s limitedrelease Tremolo teaser EP 10 years ago. Pigs a’flying when an unsigned unknown from Perry, GA can release an album covered by every major music magazine without ever playing even one gig. And remember when Madonna was pissed that her single “Music” leaked back in 2001? Those were the days. From $1 bins to dustbins, somewhere among old Darin’s Dance Moves VHSs and Pepsi Blue bottles leveling pics of Justin Timberlake with frosted tips are those stale narratives, when rarities were actually rare, when artists like Washed Out were impossible, and when every album wasn’t expected to leak at least a week in advance. We’ve had 10 years to draw out the implications of music that exists as files and code first, and we have record label tombstones and gluttonous iTunes folders to prove it. And again, it goes that technology has impressed another hyperreality: streaming presents a world where music is instantaneous: e-commerce, a world where music is omnipresent; piracy, a world where music is free; and with an encyclopedic access to information, the music fan is omniscient.

Of course, none of this is really true. Noiseisolated in white earbuds—iPoded—this decade has fundamentally altered expectations of how listeners view and interact with their music. This has more to do with how the medium of music distribution has changed in that timeframe than anything else. And boy, it’s been a wild ride.

Much has already been said about the tragic fall of the record industry. A great place to start is Steve Knopper’s book, Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Recording Industry in the Digital Age, which goes from elaborate coke parties full of lowly A&R reps to the industry’s current state with the big four at 90 percent layoffs, compared to year 2000 levels.

Mainstream rappers and boy band pop acts may have attempted to bring the record labels’ ‘90s excesses into the early millennium, but it lasted for about three years.

Let’s look at a few figures that bookend the decade. In 2000, N’Sync’s No Strings Attached broke sales records, selling 2.4 million records in its first week, eventually going diamond (that’s 10 million copies folks!) that year. This year’s best selling album will either be Taylor Swift’s Fearless, which came out in 2008, or Michael Jackson’s 2003 compilation Number Ones—which has sold almost 1.8 million copies this year. As for the highest selling new album of 2009, that goes to U2’s No Line on the Horizon, which has only gone platinum in America. Naturally, this year is worst than last, when the best-selling record was Lil’ Wayne’s Tha Carter 3, which has yet to go triple platinum.

to be helped by illegal downloading. Despite no promotion, Kid A confounded listeners who were unsure if the experimental record was really Radiohead when it leaked months early on Napster. Regardless of the technology’s possible benefits, the music industry wasn’t having any of it. In the end, the whole “Metallica, EMI, etc. v. Napster” affair allegorized the attitude the music industry would permanently assume when it came to new technology—be reactionary, overact and speak loudly carrying a big stick of litigation.

Radiohead

Call It Piracy or Previewing Obviously, the old music model imploded with the arrival of an unassuming white anthropomorphic kitty rocking blue headphones—the bigwigs just didn’t know it yet. The story of Napster is well-told: in 1999, Northeastern University student Shawn Fanning creates Napster, Metallica finds unreleased demos of theirs on the service, and the record labels come to town to sue. At its height, the service boasted 26.4 million users before being shut down. Napster wasn’t all legal greyarea doom and gloom. In Flagpole’s 2001 “Business” section (now called Threats and Promises), we announced: “Dave Matthews Band issues its single “I Did It” on Napster. It’s the first song by a major label band officially distributed via controversial file-sharing program with its label’s permission.” Or look to Radiohead, whose Kid A is considered the first album

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009

material; they are used to upload documents and pictures into the virtual cloud. Most importantly to the file-sharer, you can also upload MP3s. Uploads to these sites are given web addresses. Blogs post these web addresses as links. Some blogs exist only to point to such web address links, where the MP3 can be found. These are called MP3 blogs. And all you have to do is click “download.” Naturally, there is an even newer mutation of this model: the mysterious searchable databases that only serve to link to upload site web addresses. I only know of two such databases, which probably shouldn’t be mentioned here.

But the operator of one such database offered this explanation to Flagpole: “MP3 blogs are where people go to try and discover the next big thing. It’s where new and interesting music first surfaces, and [we databases] aggregate all that, so everything’s easier to find—almost to the point where it makes MP3 blogs redundant. I used to use [another database] for keeping up with new releases, and eventually I stopped visiting other MP3 blogs altogether.

“We definitely serve as the set of sites where new content breaks first, and then it trickles down to torrents and eventually old P2P networks.”

Continuing, “A lot of smaller bands nowadays are embracing pirating or free online distribution as a way to get their name out there. If they’re interested in making money or getting signed, they have to be heard first, and free distribution is the way to do it.”

With so much free music at one’s disposal and so many obscure new acts to discover, many downloaders find it hard to listen to it all. File-sharing and music ubiquity may have fashioned more music nerds, but how many unfamiliar artists are in their constantly growing libraries? For that I say, thank God for iTunes’ “Recently Added” smart playlist.

iTunes Rising “New Apple jukebox software, iTunes, allows you to compress CDs into MP3 formats.”—Flagpole, February 2001

The Napster disruption opened a Pandora’s box where users began to see music as a free commodity, but with its demise came replacements. More peer-to-peer-based clients like Bearshare, Morpheus and Kazaa cropped up, only to be shut down or transformed into legal download stores. BitTorrent was the next major innovation in illegal music distribution. Instead of downloading individual songs, users could download entire discographies. And while the technology was around in 2001, torrents really gained traction as high-speed Internet became more accessible mid-decade. To be sure, in 2006 the torrent tracker site Mininova became the ninth most searched word in Google. Currently, it is estimated that torrents account for almost half of all Internet traffic.

Savvy Internet users have found even easier ways to steal music now. It’s as simple as using Google: first, access Google’s “blog” search function and type the title and artist of the album in question. Then type “.zip,” “.rar,” “Mediafire” or “Rapidshare.” And viola! It is not hyperbole to say you have the entire history of music at your fingertips via Google search and, of course, for free. It works like this: the new paradigm for stealing music uses file upload sites, like Megaupload and Mediafire. These websites aren’t designed to store copyrighted

Back then, iTunes was just a means to put one’s own CD collection on an iPod. Since 2004 with a debut of the iTunes Music Store, Apple has provided the model for legal downloading, often at odds with the intentions of major record labels. As of 2008, the iTunes Music Store is the number-one music retailer in America, besting the big box retailers like Best Buy and WalMart that had gained popularity in the first half of the decade.

Since January 2009, iTunes has sold over 6 billion songs worldwide with a 70 percent market share for online music stores.

With eight million songs, iTunes has the largest online music catalog. Factor in the 220 million iPods sold as of Sept. 9, 2009 and Apple’s iPod ecosystem has been a smashing success.

But beneath iTunes’ pristine-clean veneer is another story: 27 songs are sold via iTunes for every iPod sold. Assuming people aren’t walking around with near-empty iPods, it appears that most iPods are filled either with personal CD collections or, more realistically, pirated tunes. iTunes has also trained listeners to think of music as piecemeal singles instead of cohesive artistic visions. Music isolated from context only tells a partial story, and this shift in listener habits may be permanent. Especially as recently rock figureheads like Thom Yorke (who famously held off from adding the Radiohead catalog to iTunes because of its single format) and Sufjan Stevens (the decade’s master of the concept album) have publicly questioned the relevance of the album in today’s cultural climate. It seems, then, that the iTunes model has changed the musician, too.

Make It Special Beyond the well-publicized closure of dedicated CD chains like Tower Records and CD Warehouse this decade, local mom and pop record stores have struggled, too. In the trailer for the new documentary I Need That Record, director Brendan Toller ominously overstates in his approximation of a Gwar voice: “Global warming is ravaging the Earth. The Mayan calendar predicts the world will end in 2012. And over 3,000 record stores have closed in the past decade.” Locally, at least two record shops have shuttered this decade—Lo Yo Yo and Bert’s Discount Records, not including national franchises like Disc Go Round and Blockbuster Music. Now, two remain.

John Fernandes of Circulatory System, who has been at Wuxtry Records for 10 years, says: “Lo Yo Yo closed down. I’m not sure how Schoolkids are doing. We’re definitely not doing as well as we used to, but we’re getting by.”

In the midst of digital music killing brick-and-mortar options, there has been a surprising phenomenon: the rise in vinyl sales. In 2008, vinyl sales were up 90 percent from the year before; 2009 vinyl sales are up 50 percent. Nielson predicts vinyl units to hit 2.8 million this year. Of course, vinyl is a niche market only representing 1 percent of total music sales.

With vinyl, it seems that while listeners demand the instant gratification of downloadable music, audiences also demand more elaborate physical representations of it. Take Of Montreal’s 2008 release Skeletal Lamping. Designed by local artists David and Nina Barnes, the record is available as t-shirts, wall decals, tote bags and a lantern. Each comes with a download card. The idea of merch as music creates an ecosystem where consumers get a tactile product that also buys into the band as a lifestyle brand. Fernandes amounts the endurance of special formats like vinyl to its production value: “A lot of times people will go on the Internet to hear records and see what they might be interested in; but then, if they want to get the physical copy, they’ll get the vinyl for the warm sound quality and the artwork… things like this Analog Africa Label compilation have 43-page booklets with a lot of photos and interviews with musicians and a lot more than just the music.”

And while vinyl distribution may not be the solution to a sustainable music model, its resilience points to the lack of intimacy that fans feel toward their compressed digital files of 0s and 1s. As fans can access anything any time for free, musicians have to offer more than their art. The physical product has to be value-added. Fans will buy into experiences that feel special and limited. Unfortunately, scarcity is not the vocabulary of large record labels that prefer to commoditize en masse.

No Solution Listener habits and the technology that shapes them change rapidly. So fast, in fact, it is difficult to determine the future. But one thing’s for sure: distribution is king. From waiting 30 minutes for a single file while sifting through viruses and poor ID3 tagging to downloading an entire album in a minute through a secret database, the changes in how we obtained music this decade are dazzling. And even simpler and more streamlined channels like “all-you-can-eat” music streaming might be next big thing: especially considering iTunes’ recent purchase of Lala, MySpace’s acquisition of IMEEM, and the imminent U.S. arrival of the much-lauded Spotify application. In the next Rock Band, any artist can upload and profit from their songs. Some acts are releasing “stems” of individual track layers for fans to download and remix in contests. Pay Radiohead’s “honesty box,” or don’t. Subscribe to Billy Corgan’s fan club and he’ll send you new Smashing Pumpkins cuts and video exclusives. Or sign up for Beck’s, or Prince’s—who started the whole membership distro strategy in 2001 with his official website NPGMusicClub.com. Buy Mariah Carey’s Memoirs of a Perfect Angel and get an all-Carey edition of Elle Magazine; or alternatively, buy the Sunday paper in England and get Prince’s latest LP Planet Earth for free.

The key is wild experimentation. And locals got the spirit.

Bands on the Party Party Partners label spend hours making handmade and one-of-a-kind album artwork, while also recently putting out a limited run of 300 Christmas LPs given away for free with ticket purchase. Post-rock dudes Bambara recently used Bandcamp, which allows users to “pay what you want,” to distribute their latest EP, Dog Ear Days. And local guy Colt Ford has entered into an exclusive distro deal with WalMart for at least one release. Whatever is the future of music distribution, the next 10 years will mark consumers and musicians adjusting to the fundamental shift in how we perceive and relate to music, from the upheaval of the past 10.

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DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

23

25 of Our Favorite National Releases of 2009 Dirty Projectors Animal Collective

Bitte Orca Dirty Projectors make forward-looking afro-pop out of elliptical math-rock riffs and layered three-part harmonies that are more Mariah Carey + Auto-tuned backing vocals than Brian Wilson. Like past records, Bitte Orca is difficult and complex, but with an emphasis on traditional song structures, the listener is given a compass in music history to orient himself within the band’s labyrinthine arrangements. You may have to stand back to get it, or have to see them live, but they deconstruct pop music to rebuild it in main man Dave Longstreth’s image. [Christopher Joshua Benton]

Phoenix

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix Phoenix has quietly been making the same album over and over for about a decade, and it’s a fine one. Nevertheless, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix dilutes Phoenix’s best career moments into an erudite pop moment where the hooks are bigger and the payoffs are larger. Everything is catchy, especially the melodies, since the lyrics could use more Rosetta translation with their frequent nonsense Francophilia. What was better at parties this year than “Listzstomania” or “1901?” Phoenix defines fine-tuning as a band narrative, and its excellent live act backed up its breakthrough year. [CJB]

Fuck Buttons

Tarot Sport Fuck Buttons may have arrived on the scene with the noisy Street Horrrsing, but Tarot Sport organizes that noise into a dance floor monolith that owes its rockist momentum to acts like Mogwai just as it references minimalist techno, glitch and Balearic. The architecture is dazzling, as what sounds like epic guitar washes teeter between beautiful and aggressive, while climaxing in an interstellar way. A watershed, this is some of the most simultaneously epic and organic electronica to arrive in years. [CJB]

The Antlers

Hospice Hospice sets itself apart from other pop records this year in the same way that fine albums have always revealed themselves— through well-executed cohesion from top to bottom. The Antlers temper their melodic musical story of lovers parting with noisy sections that range from the sublime and etheric to the excruciatingly heavy. A couple parts Grizzly Bear, Liars and Band of Horses, as well as some nice original leanings, give this band a compelling sound that evolves naturally from prologue to epilogue. [Tony Floyd]

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009

Merriweather Post Pavillion Hailed by many as Animal Collective’s “pop album,” Merriweather Post Pavillion is 11 songs’ worth of polymeter, soaring samples, groaning bass and howling vocals.

With songs condensed down and given more structure than on any of A.C.’s previous releases, Merriweather demonstrated just how thorough the trio’s mastery of pop language has become through all its years of very strange practice.

Featuring more material from member Noah Lennox (Panda Bear), it’s as if the group finally molded all its avant-garde meanderings into a shape that’s shiny and new.

[Julia Reidy]

Heavy Trash

Midnight Soul Serenade Jon Spencer and Matt Verta-Ray’s swoony love letter to bygone eras should teach a lesson or two to anyone who thinks Jack White is the modern master of American roots rock. The garagabillydelta-punk perfection of Midnight Soul Serenade is one true real deal, and if there’s any fairness in this universe it will occupy a prime spot in the collections of honest rock and rollers everywhere. [Jennifer Gibson]

Grizzly Bear

Veckatimest As both the band’s most ambitious and most accessible record to date, Grizzly Bear proved once and for all with Veckatimest that orchestral pop can pack as much visceral punch as the angriest punk. Single “Two Weeks” (feat. Victoria Legrand of Beach House) joined “While You Wait for the Others” among the best songs of the year, incisive and theatrical. It’s the band’s staggering musicianship, good humor and unmatched songwriting talent that truly sets Grizzly Bear apart and makes Veckatimest a modern masterpiece. [JR]

Japandroids

Post-Nothing Japandroids’ heart-swelling, heart-sweating full-length debut sets aside 2009’s fusions, offshoots and inventions of pseudo-genres in favor of a simpler, two-headed beast. Brian King plays his guitar with distortion, and David Prowse hits his drums.

They sound big and singscream in big choruses about big topics: falling for girls; leaving town, sometimes with those girls; and looking at what they left behind. Rock was not among those things. Post-Nothing.

[Alex Dimitropoulos]

Here We Go Magic

Here We Go Magic Luke Temple departed drastically from his quirky balladier folk for his first project as Here We Go Magic. Wielding one of the prettiest voices in rock, he recorded on a four-track, capturing with inimitable warmth the gauzy and much more blissed-out soundscapes he uses for this new musical direction.

Now he’s got a full band and plans to release a sophomore HWGM record in 2010. [JR]

Atlas Sound

Logos Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox took a break from all his Internet micro-releases to record his second full-length for solo project Atlas Sound.

Logos, according to Cox, was made up significantly of firsttakes, a fact that only proves how fantastic he is at retro song structure; for him, it has become almost effortless. Joined by other indie luminaries like Animal Collective’s Noah Lennox (Panda Bear) and Stereolab’s Leititia Sadier, Cox explores all his facets as a songwriter and puts forward an almost stream-of-consciousness statement on his place in the musical world. [JR]

Bear In Heaven

Beast Rest Forth Mouth Beast Rest Forth Mouth, the sophomore LP from Brooklynvia-the-Southeast group Bear in Heaven, unexpectedly revitalizes new wave without reusing the genre’s hackneyed modes. Blending psychedelia with synths right out of the ‘80s, the fourpiece uses throbbing percussion and dark harmonies to give life to a musical idea that had previously been beaten to death. [JR]

The XX

The XX You have to listen closely to hear the stark beauty of this record beneath the roar of its surrounding media buzz. Like the breath of jaded lovers condensing in the winter air, The XX’s boy-girl vocals drift with subtle romanticism against a cool, sparse backdrop. The precision of this deceptively simple debut suggests this young UK band has a long career ahead.

[Michelle E. Gilzenrat]

Avett Bros.

The Big Pink

I and Love and You Rick Rubin took away Scott Avett’s banjo, and both brothers keep the sweating and howling to a minimum. Yep, it’s a glossier document than most in their discography, but that’s not a point for criticism. Boys become men; they comb their hair. The sloppy yet endearing exuberance that has always informed their hopeful songs about hopeless situations has been reined in. Will the Brothers enjoy the same career trajectory as Kings of Leon?

No. I and Love and You is radio-ready for a radio station that doesn’t exist. [David Eduardo]

A Brief History of Love A grandiose, confident debut from London duo Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell, A Brief History of Love is both lush and effortless. Memorable melodies float over a swell of electronics, ranging in color from cerebral atmospherics to angular dance tracks. [MEG]

Camera Obscura

The Horrors

Primary Colours The Horrors surprised everyone with this stunning, meticulously crafted release, a massive departure from their reckless goth-punk debut. Primary Colours heaves Joy Division dirges and swirls in psychedelic shoegaze while somehow managing to give a nod to their ‘60s girl group infatuation. [MEG]

Arctic Monkeys

Humbug Frontman Alex Turner matures from cheeky monkey to James Bond cool with his band’s third release. Double entendre is more delicately shuffled into his saucy vignettes, and it’s easy to let his disarming charm distract you from the band’s impressive precision and electrifying, off-kilter percussion. [MEG]

Neko Case

Middle Cyclone Neko Case has always been worth a listen, but before 2006’s Fox Confessor Brings the Flood any recommendation seemed to be a conditional one, and her knockout voice worked in spite of more predictable alt-country and rock tendencies. Fox Confessor, however, was a killer album through and through, playing with song structure and instrumentation. This year’s Middle Cyclone is in that same vein but is even more focused, personal and memorable. Your challenge: find another opening track this year more immediately winning than the force of nature/human romance of “This Tornado Loves You.” [Chris Hassiotis]

The Decemberists

The Hazards of Love Wait, when did Colin Meloy learn to shred? Hearing The Decemberists debut this meaty rock opera at SXSW in Austin in March was like a revelation—filled with sludgy metal riffs and the jaw-dropping beauty of guest vocalists Shara Worden and Becky Stark, Hazards of Love is epic in both scope and sound. [MEG]

St. Vincent

Neon Indian

Actor Annie Clark digs deeper on this sophomore release, populating her intricate symphonic masterpieces with dark, desperate characters. Her voice is delicate and luxurious as ever, and the musical arrangements are endlessly innovative, creating a cinematic, otherwordly backdrop punctuated by surprising distortion and chaos. [MEG]

Psychic Chasms Neon Indian’s languid, sun-scorched sound feeds on nostalgia for cassette tapes, synthesizers and that boring, “Deadbeat Summer” in which discovering a misshapen stick, a new lifeguard or a fire flower felt like a revelation. Psychic Chasms lasts only half an hour, but it gives listeners enough time to stretch out on a memory that they and the 21-year-old frontman Alan Palomo may have lived only through excellent music, movies and video games inherited from the ‘80s. [AD]

Raekwon

Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II Raekwon invented the coke rap artform with the first Cuban Linx LP. With his longdelayed sequel, Raekwon is still the master of ghetto purple prose. Still, RZA’s lo-fi gonzo production work is just as off-kilter, esoteric and full of Asian fetishism as with any other Wu-Tang-related release. Raekwon’s a storyteller—probably the best in rap today. At the very least, Cuban Linx II was the best rap album this year. [CJB]

My Maudlin Career At times almost achingly beautiful, My Maudlin Career is pure pop bliss. Where so many of the year’s most lauded records are crammed with electronic drone, Camera Obscura is light and organic, lifted up by orchestral wings and ‘60s-inspired girl-group soul. [MEG]

Akron/ Family

Set ‘Em Wild, Set ‘Em Free The loss of a lead singer would buckle lesser bands, but the Family used that pressure like a Coke bottle launch pad. This is a wholly new, fully realized emotional experience, and a place rarely visited on such a fun record. It’s a fireside singalong on a distant world, a trashy ghost tour across a Martian Appalachia. [Bryan Aiken]

P.O.S.

Never Better P.O.S. is the most exciting new voice in music right now.

The rapper/producer is angry yet thoughtful and challenges the listener with impassioned conclusions on life, love and politics. Never Better manages to stay sincere while kicking ass in a way no hip-hop/ rock hybrid has figured out until now. [Michael Gerber]

Them Crooked Vultures

Them Crooked Vultures I don’t know how this project managed to surprise me, but I’m still bruised from the sucker-punch of this debut. The trio’s respective identities of classic rock influence, classic rock emulation, and the very definition of classic rock, shake into irresistibly potent nog of awesome—the way we should have known it would. [BA] For our music writers’ personal top-10 lists, favorite songs, live shows and more, check www.flagpole.com.

DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

25

Decade Trends

Ups and Downs in Local Music

Successes

The Secret Secret Secret With the establishment of the Secret Squirrel DIY space earlier this year, the local scene once again went underground, to the joy of many music fans and concern of many music venues. What impresario Mercer West has done, however, is to create a space that underscores the concepts of creativity, community and freedom.

BACKYARD TO NATURE

Vision!

Organic Compost • Topsoil • Mulch • Stone Decorative Gravel • A Shoulder to Cry On

LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED

706-788-0559

www.Backyard2Nature.com Mention this Ad for 10% Off

Replenishment Most of the bands you see out will break up. Most of them will move on. Most of them will be forgotten. You might look back at old Flagpoles (if you’re really bored) and laugh, laugh, laugh at the ridiculous names while scratching your head over why anyone really cared so much in the first place. But that’s then, and this is now, and what you have in

Mike White · deadlydesigns.com

Advice! Ideas!

Nuçi’s Space Survives Ten years ago Nuçi’s Space was still more idea and ambitious hope than it was successful enterprise and treasured community resource. What’s most surprising is that the non-profit’s model of providing counseling, information, resources and aid to musicians hasn’t been copied all across the country. And, current tax-issue-clarification issues aside, community support has never been stronger.

back to the house parties since the closing of Lunch Paper/Repent, the mid-decade bluegrass boom has subsided to a few bands, but in few other cities in the country can you find as many different types of music (of, y’know… generally OK quality) as you can in Athens.

West Washington Ghetto Over the past decade, music moved from something you could find in all corners of downtown to something that’s shifted to the northwest corner, concentrated around West Nationally Known Washington Street. An “arts The Athens scene built district” is fine and all, but its reputation on (and still the divide between the two lingers in the shadow of) sides of town has never R.E.M. and The B-52s— been as visible, and that Widespread Panic to a lesser trend puts undue stress on extent—but the past decade still-sticking-with-it Tasty Lazer/Wülf performs a rare set at the Morton Theatre for the Flagpole Music Awards. has seen a number of local World Uptown, when the acts nab the attention of critical amount of venues music fans abroad: Of Montreal, the Drive-By spread throughout town reaches a threshold front of you is a constantly refreshing scene Truckers, The Whigs and more have raised the where few want to make the trek to catch a that’s under-documented and demanding of rep of Athens to its highest point since the show. your attention. For now, as the old sloughs late-’90s Elephant 6 heyday. off, the new grows in its place. Let’s hope it’s Thin-Skinned Cheap Asses Aplenty… Still! always that way.

Moving of AthFest Athens, get your shit together. You’d think Just a few years old at the turn of the over a decade—that’s a third of the entire century, the annual music and arts festilife-span of the contemporary scene!—that val really hit its stride in the middle of the artists would learn to take constructive critiBut Think of the Children! decade. When AthFest moved its stages from cism, lose the sense of entitlement and quit There was this place on Baxter Street called taking themselves so seriously. You also might the eastern terminus of Washington Street to the western in 2004 due to some construction, Above Books, and they had all-ages shows. think that audience members wouldn’t balk at High-school kids mixed with college kids supporting their supposed pals and shelling the festival re-situated from a personalitymixed with townies at the generally punkout a couple bucks for a show. You’d be wrong, free zone between the courthouse, a parking leaning performances, but that place closed in sadly, on both counts. deck and a parking lot to an area surrounded August 2001. Since then—almost a full decade by local businesses, music venues, trees and later—no venue in town has seriously capitalUse the Morton! personality. ized on the all-ages scene, doing a serious disWhether through lack of ambition on the service to our city’s high-school kids (potential part of musicians or lack of willingness on the The Rebirth (Again) of Pylon part of the Morton Theatre, the music scene Pylon’s always been a presence on the local future patrons, employees and artists). is missing out by not figuring out a way to scene, the art-minded and exuberant “third Musical Migration take advantage of the historic Morton Theatre. band” to emerge from the early ‘80s. Everyone The Athens job market is lousy, and that’s A prime performance space that only sees thought it was more or less relegated to the led to both musicians leaving town for betlocal music more or less once a year (at the past, but that notion was blown out the door ter audiences and potential audiences leaving annual Flagpole Music Awards), the Morton with a terrific 2004 reunion show that electritown for better jobs. Athens is a great place was literally built to sound good, and if some fied the scene and showed the kids How It’s to be a musician, but not a great place to enterprising promoter could find a way to 1) Done, leading to more shows, reissued classic make a living as one. If the government could convince the theatre to host shows and 2) albums packed with jittery, stripped-down figure out a way to draw an industry to town convince people to come to a show where you dance rock and garnering national acclaim— that would employ creative types and create a can’t buy alcohol (or figure out a way to sell all cut short, or at least capped, by guitarist young professional class, maybe we wouldn’t it) then one of Athens’ great potentials could Randy Bewley’s untimely death in early ‘09. lose creative acts like Telenovela, for instance, become one of its great performance venues. to the “real world.”

We got a sneak preview of the venue’s potenDiversity of Music tial during AthFest this year, when the Morton The early part of the decade wasn’t a Show Stagnation generously offered its stage to the displaced wasteland, but it sure lacked when compared Athens used to be a big draw for a lot of bands scheduled to play the Georgia Theatre. to the relative variety these days. That’s not touring bands, but that’s diminished over It can be done! just in types of bands, but in venues as well. the decade. Whether due to the economy, the Local hip-hop has had its ups and downs price of gas, the shattering of music coverage Chris Hassiotis (mostly downs), metal and heavier music is

Failures

26

due to the Internet, the ease with which club booking agents fall into a rut, the unwillingness of Athens crowds to pay reasonable ticket prices because there aren’t jobs here to earn reasonable money… well, we just don’t get the number of touring bands—especially on that about-to-break-from-college-radio level— that we used to. The Caledonia and Tasty World were once reliable places to see a band you just heard on the radio or read about online, but now they mostly book local bands of varying levels of mediocrity. The 40 Watt, too, has fewer touring acts than it did, and with the disappearance (for now, we hope!) of the Georgia Theatre, it’s cause for concern when Birmingham, AL is getting the big shows that should stop through Athens—and that’s happened more and more over the past decade.

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009

WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK

NEW YEAR’S DeadlinE: The deadline for getting listed in the Calendar will be TUESDAY, Dec. 29 at 5 p.m. for the issue of Jan. 6. Email calendar@flagpole.com.

Tuesday 22 EVENTS: Star Wars Holiday Party (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Join Bea Arthur, Harrison Ford and the gang for a screening of the 1978 madefor-TV Star Wars Holiday Special.

Learn how cultures across the galaxy celebrate the season when you go home for the holidays with Chewbacca. FREE! www.myspace. com/flickerbar 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: Invasive Crafts Program (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 EVENTS: Last Minute Gifts (Madison County Library) Never fear; the library is here! Supplies, instruction and inspiration available to all ages. Dec. 22, 6:30 p.m. & Dec. 23, 4 p.m. FREE! 706-795-5597 KIDSTUFF: Parkview Express (Parkview Community Center) All aboard! If you are looking for some adventure this holiday season, hop aboard the Parkview Express! Share Christmas treats, work on holiday crafts, participate in a candy cane hunt and enter a raffle to win a copy of The Polar Express. For kids ages 3–12. 5–7 p.m. $3. 706-613-3602, www.accleisureservices.com KIDSTUFF: Happy Holidays: School’s Out! (Memorial Park) Make crafts and snacks and play games at the zoo! Program relates

to Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year’s Day festivities. 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. $15/day. 706-613-3580, www. accleisureservices.com KIDSTUFF: White Buffalo’s Christmas for Children (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) Buffalo’s has been on Santa’s nice list this year, so expect him in attendance at this holiday party! Call or stop by for more information! 6 p.m. FREE! 706354-6655 LECTURES & LIT.: Book Signing (Borders Books & Music) Children’s author Helen H. Kimbrough’s new book, Play Dates and Other Tales, includes four short stories, beautiful illustrations and a musical CD. 1 p.m. FREE! 706-583-8647 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 23 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: Last Minute Gifts (Madison County Library) Never fear; the library is here! Supplies, instruction and gift inspiration available to all ages. Dec. 22, 6:30 p.m. & Dec. 23, 4 p.m. FREE! 706795-5597 EVENTS: Movie Night (Flicker Theatre & Bar) After movie trivia winds down, join Will Chamberlain as he hosts a screening of the heartwarming 1984 slasher flick, Silent Night, Deadly Night. 11:30 p.m.

FREE! www.myspace.com/flickerbar KIDSTUFF: Cookies for Santa (Lay Park) Decorate cookies to put out for

Santa on his big day, but be sure to keep a few for yourself. 3 p.m. $1.

706-613-3596 KIDSTUFF: Santa’s Workshop (Broadacres Community Center) It’s not child labor if it’s fun! Kids ages 3–12 are invited to help Santa with some last-minute chores. Fill in for Santa’s depleted elf workforce and help feed the reindeer, decorate cookies, stuff the stockings and hang the lights! Call to register. 4–6 p.m. $3. 706-613-3603, www.accleisureservices.com MEETINGS: Sitting Meditation Group (Mind Body Institute) Silent meditation sessions every Wednesday. Noon. FREE! 706-4757329 GAMES: Beer Pong (Alibi) Develop coordination, tolerance and grace.

Every Wednesday with Corey. 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: Poker Tour (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) Texas Hold ‘Em every Wednesday. 706-354-6655 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

Betsy Franck and the Bareknuckle Band play Little Kings on Saturday, Dec. 26.

Saturday 26 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

Sunday 27 GAMES: Full-Contact Trivia (Allen’s Bar & Grill) Sports-themed rules with diverse categories. 9 p.m.

FREE! www.allensbarandgrill.com

Monday 28

Bonerama will be rocking New Year’s Eve at the Melting Point.

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 GAMES: Texas Hold ‘Em (Fat Daddy’s) Bring your poker face for a game of Hold ‘Em. Turbo game at 9 p.m. 6 p.m. 706-353-0241 GAMES: Trivia (Alibi) Every Monday!

9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 GAMES: Trivia (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) Every Monday! 8:30 p.m. 706354-6655

Tuesday 29 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 KIDSTUFF: Pajama Storytime (Madison County Library) Snuggle in your jammies with your favorite stuffed animal and listen to bedtime stories. Light snack provided. All ages. 7 p.m. FREE! 706-795-5597 MEETINGS: Athens Green Drinks (Farm 255) An informal mixer for green-minded folks to discuss building, transportation and sustainability issues in the Athens area. 6–8 p.m. www.athensgreendrinks.org GAMES: Flicker Poker Night (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Last Tuesday of every month! 8:30 p.m. 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 30 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 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: Game Day. Don’t worry–no football prowess necessary. Play Pictionary with your inside friends. Ages 1118. 4 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 KIDSTUFF: Young Adult Book Discussion (Madison County Library) This month’s book: Art Spiegelman’s Maus, an acclaimed graphic novel chronicling his father’s struggle as a Jew in Nazi Germany.

4:30 p.m. FREE! 706-795-5597 MEETINGS: Sitting Meditation Group (Mind Body Institute) Silent meditation every Wednesday. Noon.

FREE! 706-475-7329 GAMES: Beer Pong (Alibi) Develop coordination, tolerance and grace.

Every Wednesday with Corey. FREE! 706-549-1010 k continued on next page

DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

27

Mike White · deadlydesigns.com

the calendar!

Eat. Drink. Listen Closely.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26 GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

RANDALL BRAMBLETT BAND

DAVIN McCOY

Tickets $12 adv. • $15 at the door

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29 Terrapin Bluegrass Series featuring

BORDERHOP TRIO

Tickets $3 adv. • $3 at the door • $2 Terrapin Pints!

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31

MARDI GRAS N E W Y E A R ’S E V E featuring

BONERAMA

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

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6

THE FUNKY BENEFIT for DJ ROMEO COLOGNE

of the Sound ELECTRIC Details Coming Soon!

FRIDAY, JANUARY 8

CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS Tickets $15 adv. • $20 at the door

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9 Georgia Theatre Benefit

KINCHAFOONEE COWBOYS

Tickets $12 adv. • $15 at the door

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13

ZOSO THE ULTIMATE LED ZEPPELIN TRIBUTE Tickets $10

THURSDAY, JANUARY 14

THE LAST WALTZ ENSEMBLE Tickets $8 adv. • $10 at the door

FRIDAY, JANUARY 15

HOLMAN AUTRY BAND Tickets $7 adv. • $10 at the door

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20 GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

LEO KOTTKE

Tickets $35 adv. • $40 at the door

THURSDAY, JANUARY 21

TROMBONE SHORTY AND ORLEANS AVENUE Tickets $12 adv. • $15 at the door

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22

MOUNTAIN HEART TOWN MOUNTAIN

Tickets $15 adv. • $18 at the door

COMING SOON 1/28 - MOTHER’S FINEST 1/29 - SUPERCLUSTER, MAGNAPOP, FLASH TO BANG TIME 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 LOCATED ON THE GROUNDS OF 2/27 - DIRK HOWELL BAND 295 E. DOUGHERTY ST., ATHENS, GA

706.254.6909

WWW.MELTINGPOINTATHENS.COM

FOR TICKETS & SHOWTIMES OR CALL THE BOX OFFICE 706.254.6909

28

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009

Wednesday, Dec. 30 continued from p. 27

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. to play. Trivia starts at 8:30 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ flickerbar GAMES: Poker Tour (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) Texas Hold ‘Em every Wednesday. 706-354-6655 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 31 EVENTS: “Gnew” Year’s Bash (Gnat’s Landing) Not ringing in 2010 on your favorite beach? Come out instead for a casual, coastal dinner for two accompanied by music, tropical libations and lively conversation with Oz and Jersey. 8 p.m. $85/couple. 706-850-5858, www. gnatslanding.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: Hotel Indigo New Year’s Eve Party (The Rialto Room) Join Hotel Indigo for its inaugural New Year’s Eve bash featuring Motown favorites by The Common People Band and a champagne toast.

Special hotel packages are also available by reservation only. 9 p.m.–1 a.m. $50/person. 706-5460430 EVENTS: Mardi Gras New Years Celebration (The Melting Point) Ring in 2010 Big Easy-style with a special Cajun menu, musical performances by Bonerama and Lil’ Bryan and the Zydeco Travelers and a balloon drop when the clock strikes midnight. Hotel and dinner packages are also available. 7 p.m. $35. 706-254-6909, www.meltingpointathens.com EVENTS: New Year’s Eve Party (The Office Lounge) This New Year’s Eve party features the Southern rock sounds of Athens band Slammin’ Betty. Say farewell party to 2009 with noisemakers, plastic hats and a champagne toast. 9:30 p.m. 706546-0840 OUTDOORS: Blue Full Moon Hike (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

Friday 1 EVENTS: 4th Annual 5K New Year’s at Noon (Sandy Creek Park) Proceeds from the race go to Bobby’s Learning Garden. Hot soup, chili and refreshments after the race.

Noon. $20. www.runningintheusa. com/crs/ 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

Saturday 2 EVENTS: Adoption Day (Pet Supplies Plus) 11 a.m.–3 p.m. 706353-0650 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

Sunday 3 GAMES: Full-Contact Trivia (Allen’s Bar & Grill) Sports-themed rules with diverse categories. 9 p.m.

FREE! www.allensbarandgrill.com

Monday 4 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 themes and the online question of the week. Every Monday.

8:30–10 p.m. FREE! 706-613-8773 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 GAMES: Texas Hold ‘Em (Fat Daddy’s) 6 p.m. 706-353-0241 GAMES: Trivia (Alibi) Every Monday!

9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 GAMES: Trivia (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) Every Monday! 8:30 p.m. 706354-6655

Tuesday 5 PERFORMANCE: Open TOAD Comedy (Flicker Theatre & Bar) A unique open mic experience. The audience gets to pelt the performers who go over their six-minute time limit with foam rocks. Performers get in free but must sign up by 8 p.m.

8:30 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/ flickerbar 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 6 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 LECTURES & LIT.: Word of Mouth (The Globe) Monthly open poetry readings begin! Every first

Wednesday. 8 p.m. FREE! 706-3534721 GAMES: Beer Pong (Alibi) Develop coordination, tolerance and grace.

Every Wednesday with Corey. 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: Poker Tour (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) Texas Hold ‘Em every Wednesday. 706-354-6655 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 MEETINGS: Oconee Rivers Audubon Society 1/7 (Sandy Creek Nature Center, ENSAT building) Learn about and discuss local

Wednesday, December 30

CraigMas 2009 with Dieties, Garbage Island, Dictatortots, Hot Breath 40 Watt Club A welcoming authority on subjects both Athens and rock, 40 Watt honcho and all-around local skull-cracker Craig Lieske celebrates another year of taking shit off of no one and being nice about it with a party line-up that does the same.

Known for his outside playing, Lieske has a reputation for curbslapping melodicism like a booze-addled stepmom, leaving more than one Craig Lieske audience impaled on that moment of “No, he didn’t” and “WTF?” Tonight, Lieske (rhymes w/whis-key) rolls out his new battlehorse, Dieties, with compositions built around, get this: songs.

“It’s a rock band, pure and simple. Not a lot of chords, just four to the floor, and completely riff-driven. I wanted to do a band with drummer Tim Payne of Fuzzy Sprouts for a while, and since he just returned to active musical duty after taking a decade off, now is definitely the time.”

As to this new direction, Lieske offers: “I haven’t done much musically in the song format recently, so this will be a pretty unusual project for me, considering my forays into improvised music over the past decade. I really just wanted to put a rocking band together again, shits and giggles, and I think people will be surprised by what we’ve come up with.”

Rounding out the band are Allen Owens of Pride Parade and Lauren Osborne, formerly of Push. “Allen Owens is a great musician who adds a definitive personal and aggressive energy to the band on bass, and Lauren Osborne’s own material leans towards a more pop approach, so this is a different project for her as well.” Fans of Lieske’s sonic deconstructions will not be left out in the cold as his flagship outrigger Garbage Island is also on the bill with its own patented jank-squall. Drive-By Trucker Jay Gonzalez will be at the piano from 8–9 p.m. serving up lounge versions of your guiltiest pleasures. Happy Birthday, Craig! [Coy King]

Mike White · deadlydesigns.com

THE CALENDAR!

wildlife with your fellow bird watchers and nature enthusiasts. New members welcome! Ages 13 and up.

7–9 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3615.

ART: Opening Reception 1/9 (ATHICA) For “Nurture,” an exhibit featuring video and photography

by Amy Jenkins which explores the intimate, yet universal, issues of parenting and breast-feeding. 7–9 p.m. FREE! www.athica.org EVENTS: Balance Open House 1/10 (Balance Pilates and Wellness Studio, 160-1 Tracy St.) Meet with instructors and learn about the studio’s various offerings, including nutrition classes, group walks and Pilates classes. 3–4 p.m. FREE! 706-546-1061, www.balancepilatesathens.com MEETINGS: Antarctica Expedition Informational Reception 1/10 (Call for location) The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UGA is organizing a trip to Antarctica, South Georgia Island and the Falkland Islands in January of 2011. The focus of the trip is to develop an understanding of the Antarctic environment and the adaptations plants and animals undergo for survival. 6 p.m.

FREE! 706-549-7350, olli.uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: “Hogaku: New Sounds of Japan 2010” 1/15 (UGA Ramsey Concert Hall) Hogaku Journal editor Takafumi Tanaka delivers a lecture on Japanese music preceding the performance. 7 p.m.

FREE! 706-542-4400 PERFORMANCE: Hogaku: New Sounds of Japan 2010 1/15 (UGA Ramsey Concert Hall) A musical showcase featuring the best of traditional Japanese music. Catch performances on the chappa, the taiko drum, the koto and more. 8 p.m. FREE! 706-542-4400 PERFORMANCE: Moscow State Radio Symphony Orchestra 1/24 (UGA Hodgson Hall) A program of majestic Russian musical works. 7:30 p.m. $25–$30. 706542-4400, www.uga.edu/pac THEATRE: The Wedding Singer 1/27 (The Classic Center) Your favorite Adam Sandler film has finally been adapted for musical theatre!

This Broadway production of The Wedding Singer, directed by Athens’ own M. Seth Reines, is sure to put the “classic” in The Classic Center.

7:30 p.m. $11–$66. 706-357-4444, www.classiccenter.com ART: Curator’s Walk & Talk 1/28 (ATHICA) Curator and ATHICA Director Lizzie Zucker Saltz leads a discussion about “Nurture,” an exhibition currently on display which features work by Amy Jenkins and explores societal attitudes about breast-feeding and non-sexual nudity. All ages are welcome. 7–8 p.m.

FREE! www.athica.org PERFORMANCE: Alice in Wonderland 1/28 (MadisonMorgan Cultural Center) Bits ‘N Pieces Puppet Theater takes you down the rabbit hole in this fullbody and traditional puppet show!

9:30 a.m. & 1 p.m. $5. 706-3424743, www.mmccarts.org EVENTS: Green Life Expo 1/29 (The Classic Center) Featuring seminars and exhibits on environmentally friendly cleaning products, composting, home energy conservation, LEED building and more. Friday focuses on business and industry; Saturday focuses on homeowners and apartment dwellers. Jan. 29, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Jan. 30, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

FREE! www.greenlifeathens.com EVENTS: Henry D. Green Symposium 1/29 (UGA Center for Continuing Education) The Georgia Museum of Art hosts the Henry D. Green Symposium of the Decorative Arts in its fifth year: “Neighboring Voices: The Decorative Culture of

Our Southern Cousins.” Following a tour of five historic houses in Athens, Robert A. Leath will deliver a lecture on early decorative arts in the South. Register by Jan. 15. Jan. 29–30. 706-542-4662, www.uga. edu/gamuseum LECTURES & LIT.: Winter WakeUp for Writers 1/30 (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation) Of course your novel would be a best seller–if only someone would publish it!

Learn about DIY publishing, working with literary agents and freelancing in today’s climate. Speak with a panel of published and aspiring writers and develop the skills necessary to market a book once published. Fee includes lunch. Register by Jan. 23.

9 a.m.–4 p.m. $70. www.ocaf.com OUTDOORS: 2nd Annual Chilly Dawg 5K 1/30 (Sandy Creek Park) Run or walk your way to the finish on paved paths throughout the park. Proceeds benefit the College of Family and Consumer Sciences Alumni Association and the ARCH Foundation of UGA. 9 a.m. $20.

706-542-3386, www.active.com

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

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

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30

CRAIG-MAS PAGEANT GARBAGE ISLAND HOT BREATH DEITIES JAY GONZALES

* Advance Tickets Available

Live Music Tuesday 22 Alibi 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 KARAOKE A special Christmasthemed karaoke contest with The Singing Cowboy.

Buffalo’s Southwest Café 6–10 p.m. $5 (includes lessons). 706354-6655 DINE & DANCE NIGHT Beginners’ and advanced dance lessons every Tuesday from 6–7 p.m. followed by open dance until 10 p.m.

Little Kings Shuffle Club 9 p.m. www.myspace.com/littkekingsshuffleclub DAFFODIL Local trio plays fuzzedout, early-’90s sounding heavy rock and roll.

JIMMY KIND BUD Christopher Ingham’s new band, formerly Liverty, featuring Kate R. on bass and Sarah T. on drums.

Wednesday 23 Casa Mia 7 p.m. FREE! 706-227-4444 LUDWIG PORRAS Latin and Flamenco guitar.

Fat Daddy’s 10 p.m.–1 a.m. FREE! 706-353-0241 OPEN MIC Every Wednesday featuring Avery Dylan.

Little Kings Shuffle Club 9 p.m. www.myspace.com/littlekingsshuffleclub PILLOW FORT AND SPECIAL GUESTS Punk fun coming from a bunch of locals formerly of several other bands, including Carrie Nations.

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

Saturday 26 Alibi 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 KARAOKE With the singing cowboy. k continued on next page

Skate Shop

performing during cocktail hour from 8-9pm doors open at 8pm • five dollars seven dollars for under 21 with FREE Admission during cocktail hour

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31

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29

Club Chrome 9 p.m. $5. 706-543-9009 GEORGIA WHISKEY Athens locals know their way around bluesy Southern rock.

Fat Daddy’s 10 p.m. FREE! 706-353-0241 KARAOKE Hosted by Lynn.

Go Bar 12:30 a.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ gobar “LATE NITE DISCO” The house deejay and occasional special guests spin a cool mix of disco, new wave and modern dance tunes for a sweaty and energetic closing-time crowd. Dance party begins after the live music every Saturday.

Little Kings Shuffle Club 9 p.m. $3. www.myspace.com/littlekingsshuffleclub 90 ACRE FARM This acoustic trio from Watkinsville plays original Americana and covers.

BETSY FRANCK AND THE BAREKNUCKLE BAND Soulful, brassy Southern rock and country songs rooted in tradition, but with a modern sensibility.

The Melting Point 8:30 p.m. $12 (adv), $15 (door). www. meltingpointathens.com DAVIN MCCOY Emotional, soulful songwriter with a bluesy jazz feel

Saturday, Dec. 26 continued from p. 29

that’s been likened to Cat Stevens, Damien Rice and even Dave Matthews.

RANDALL BRAMBLETT BAND Longtime Athenian Randall Bramblett presents a simplified slab of Southern music. Either blowing the sax or delivering his gruff ‘n’ grumbly vocals, Bramblett can toss out direct Southern R&B kickers.

Terrapin Beer Co. 5:30 p.m. www.terrapinbeer.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.

Sunday 27 Buffalo’s Southwest Café 6:30 p.m. 706-354-6655 GOSPEL REVIEW Every Sunday at Buffalo’s in their big back room.

Kingpins Bowl & Brew “Headbanger’s Bowl.” 8 p.m. $3 (21+), $5 (under 21). www.kingpinsbowlandbrew.com HAYRIDE This long-running Athens trio has maintained a steady output of prog- and metal-influenced rock.

Hayride’s punk leanings, however, don’t exclude strong melodies.

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 28 Caledonia Lounge 9:30 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www. caledonialounge.com CORNELIUS F. VAN STAFRIN III Dark, twisted tape loops, samples and noise.

COUNCIL Jordan Noel (ex-Iron Hero, Coyote Bones, Little Francis) says his new band is “an experimental terror-ride of power atmospherics— sometimes featuring guest musicians, sometimes not—presented in stereo-fear.”

GHOST TO FALCO Eric Crespo is the constant member of Ghost to Falco, a Portland band specializing in morose beauty and curious emotion. From lush analog synth sounds to looped and minimal drones, the sounds on last year’s disc Like This Forever complement Crespo’s pointed lyrics well.

TUNABUNNY Experimental local act featuring hazy and warped experimental psychedelia. Dual female guitarist/vocalists are backed by synthesized percussion and a wall of noise.

Thursday, December 31

New Year’s Eve! Various Locations The argument over whether we party harder on Halloween or New Year’s Eve will always be an eternal battle, at least until Dec. 31, 2012, or as we here at the Flagpole Militia Compound are calling it, “Kool Aid Night.” As the novelty-eyewear industry calls it a day now that consecutive zeroes will no longer be on the calendar, let’s take a moment to reflect on what’s to do on the night where reflection is upended in favor of frenzy.

Bradford Cox will be bringing his cultural victory lap to the 40 Watt with his increasingly sucBradford Cox of Atlas Sound cessful solo project, Atlas Sound. The Caledonia Lounge hit the end-of-the-’00s jackpot with a double-whammy bill consisting of the breakout local bands of 2009, Pride Parade and Deaf Judges. That’s not to short-change gross-punk openers Vincas, whom you should really make it out to see. And on the topic of up-and-comers, the brilliant concept of Los Meesfits—mariachi Misfits covers—would only be effective with perfectly loose execution, and, goddamn, they execute it well.

They’ll be at Flicker. If you were lucky enough to see no-loops-no-bullshit one-man-band the Matt Kurz One pay loving tribute to The Who a few weeks back, you’d know that the combination of Kurz’s outsize, full-body convulsions along with The Who’s fist-pumping anthemics is a winning combination. He’ll be counting it down at the Rye Bar, and if you yell at him enough he’ll probably play “Purple Rain.” You can party Louisiana-style at the Melting Point with the four-trumpet attack of Bonerama, who play vintage funk and classic rock covers, too.

And then there’s the elephant in the room, the sequel to the much-hyped WTCHKRFT Halloween party at the Chase Street warehouses. If it’s dancing you seek, dancing will be had, with a coterie of our finest local DJs, perhaps the most notable being a fully reunited Krush Girls. Plus, a special guest: freshly wed Georgia blog-boy Washed Out will be doing what co-organizer/ local filmmaker Jason Miller describes as a “sped-up set.”

So: chipmunk-soul glo-fi chillwave? The end of the world might come two years early.

[Jeff Tobias]

30

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009

Kristin Klein

THE CALENDAR!

Ciné Barcafé 6–8 p.m. FREE! www.athenscine.com OPEN JAZZ JAM Calling all jazz musicians. Now you can join local jazz group Sonny Got Blue every Monday for an open mic jam.

Tuesday 29 Alibi 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 KARAOKE With the singing cowboy.

Buffalo’s Southwest Café 6–10 p.m. $5 (includes lessons). 706354-6655 DINE & DANCE NIGHT Beginners’ and advanced dance lessons every Tuesday from 6–7 p.m. followed by open dance until 10 p.m.

Fat Daddy’s 10 p.m. FREE! 706-353-0241 KARAOKE Huge karaoke dance party hosted by Lynn every Tuesday.

The Melting Point 7 p.m. $3. www.meltingpointathens. com BORDERHOP TRIO High-octane bluegrass infused free-for-all somewhere between Bill Monroe and Ween. This is the last “Bluegrass Tuesday” of the year!

No Where Bar 10 p.m. 706-546-4742 ASHUTTO MIRRA Local heavy-leaning alternative rock group that mixes in a bit of Southern influence.

Wednesday 30 40 Watt Club 8 p.m. FREE! (until 9 p.m.), $5 (after 9 p.m.) www.40watt.com DEITIES Craig Lieske’s brand new song-driven rock band! See Calendar Pick. p. 28.

GARBAGE ISLAND The challenging, interesting Athens improvisational group soldiers on despite lineup shifts. Loud, metallic and edgy, the band dips into krautrock and progressive thought, earning it the “experimental” tag.

JAY GONZALES Recently taking over as keyboardist for the Drive-By Truckers, Jay plays the kind of tunes you’d expect from a member of that well-established band. Tonight he opens the show with his famous piano lounge act, covering your guiliest pleasures.

HOT BREATH Thrash trio featuring members of experimental local acts Garbage Island and S.V.A. Fat Daddy’s 10 p.m.–1 a.m. FREE! 706-353-0241 OPEN MIC Every Wednesday featuring Avery Dylan.

Flicker Theatre & Bar 8 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ flickerbar EUREKA CALIFORNIA Local indie band influenced by American indie that sounds like British indie influenced by American indie.

LEE MARKEY Melodic, slightly offkilter acoustic folk.

Little Kings Shuffle Club 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/littlekingsshuffleclub JUMPIN’ JESUS CHRISTERS Lively Appalachian-style string band composed of local musicians.

MONKEY Local band provides rockabilly bluegrass pickin’.

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

Thursday 31 159 Oneta Street 9:30 p.m. $12 (adv), $14 (door).

Tickets available at Agora or AthensMusic.net MIDNIGHT New Year’s Eve dance party extravaganza starring Krush Girls and Washed Out with DJ sets from: Black Dominoes, List Christee (Of Montreal), Immuzikation, Andy LeMaster and Nate Nelson, DJ A. Dot and Twin Powers. Plus, visuals by Winston Parker and video programming by Julian Bozeman, Nick Gould, Dan Donahue and Jason Miller.

40 Watt Club 9 p.m. $10. www.40watt.com ATLAS SOUND Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox is touring in support of his solo project’s second album, Logos (one of Flagpole’s favorite releases of ‘09! See p. 24.) which goes in a poppier direction but not too far from his other band’s sonic tapestry.

THE SELMANAIRES The Selmanaires hail from Atlanta, where they’ve been making their name as purveyors of intriguing, psychedelicized rock that ranges from melodic ballads to dancier, new wave-inspired pop.

SUPERCLUSTER More of a collective than a band, this local group features all-stars from such bands as Pylon, Casper & the Cookies, Olivia Tremor Control, Deerhunter and more!

Alibi New Year’s Eve Party w/champagne toast. 9 p.m. FREE! 706-540-1010 Carla LeFever and the S.O.B. Blues Band A special NYE performance! LeFever will be backed by the S.O.B. Band, rocking through a set of her vibrant originals and the S.O.B.’s usual mix of blues covers from the ‘70s and beyond.

Allen’s Bar & Grill 9 p.m. www.allensbarandgrill.com THE GRUNTTONES Say the Grunttones: “If you enjoy bluesy rock and roll music played by unique individuals in unconventional fashions,” a Grunttones show may be for you.

Allgood Lounge 10 p.m. www.allgoodlounge.com STUDIO 54 DISCO BASH! Cheesy ‘70s hits to keep you dancing all night long. Bring New Year’s Eve nostalgia to an exciting new level when you celebrate an era which likely preceded your conception.

Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $7 (21+), $9 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com DEAF JUDGES Consisting of three MCs and one DJ, the Deaf Judges focus on an energetic live show backed by beats that utilize elements of world music, old school funk and soul, and lyrics influenced by the modern underground as well as a classic New York hip-hop style.

PRIDE PARADE Local hard rockers play a blistering mix of punk, grunge, stoner metal and blues.

Farm 255 11 p.m. $5. www.farm255.com THE HEAP Funky local indie-soul band based here in Athens.

Go Bar New Year’s Eve Party! 10 p.m. www. myspace.com/gobar IMMUZIKATION Celebrated local DJ Alfredo Lapuz Jr. mashes up highenergy electro and rock.

TWIN POWERS Spinning a mix of contemporary Top 40 with danceable ‘80s new wave and Britpop tunes.

Little Kings Shuffle Club 10 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ littlekingsshuffleclub DJ MAHOGANY AND THE KING Freaky funk, sultry soul, righteous R&B, and a whole lotta unexpected faves as DJ Mahogany dips into his bag of goodies from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. Tag-teaming tonight with DJ Brian King.

The Melting Point Mardi Gras Themed NYE Celebration!

7 p.m. $30 (adv), $35 (door). www. meltingpointathens.com* BONERAMA This lively brass band from New Orleans plays a mix of vintage funk and killer classic rock covers. Balloon drop at midnight!

LIL’ BRIAN AND THE ZYDECO TRAVELERS A bold, funky and cutting edge take on zydeco—the highenergy folk music that originated with the Creoles in Louisiana.

New Earth Music Hall 9 p.m. $12 (adv). $20 (door). www. newearthmusichall.com DUBCONSCIOUS Athens’ politically minded reggae heavy hitters travel the bass-heavy reggae path while borrowing the best from dub, funk and jazz.

TELEPATH Asheville, NC zone-out trio that blends live instrumentation, deejaying and electronic compositions, drawing on dub, dancehall, Indian and Arabic sounds.

The Office Lounge 9:30 p.m. 706-546-0840 SLAMMIN’ BETTY Southern rock, Athens-style. New Year’s Eve Party!

Rye Bar 11:30 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ ryebarathens MATT KURZ ONE One-man rock machine Matt Kurz literally plays drums, keyboard, guitar and bass, by himself, all at the same time.

Expect a mix of garage rock stomps and bluesy croons.

Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown THE CONSTELLATIONS Freshly signed to Virgin Records, this Atlanta band plays a psychedelic blend of soul rock with hip-hop flourishes. Southern Gothic, was produced by Grammy-winner Ben H. Allen (Gnarls Barkley).

Friday 1 Alibi 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 DIXIE MAFIA Rock cover band based here in Athens.

Terrapin Beer Co. 5:30 p.m. www.terrapinbeer.com SACRED HOLLOW Athens/Atlanta hard rock band naming Tool, Chevelle and Sevendust among its many influences.

Saturday 2 40 Watt Club 9 p.m. $6. www.40watt.com THE AWESOMELIES The awesome duo of Ian Rickert (bass) and Becky Lovell (keys) sing silly, irreverent pop songs. The band’s debut release is available digitally at www.wedoallthebeststuff.com.

BLACK MOLD LIGHTNING Acoustic pop tunes with a happy, folky feel.

NANA GRIZOL Local punk band that plays songs about shooting stars, fancy cars and red guitars.

Celebrating the release of their new album Ruth tonight! See Calendar Pick on p. 31.

Saturday, January 2

Nana Grizol, The Awesomelies, New Socks, Black Mold Lightning 40 Watt Club Ebenezer Scrooge wasn’t an accident. Neg attitudes naturally manifest themselves around this time of year, whether it’s via bearing Nana Grizol witness to early-morning gift-shopping riots or slouching underneath stripped branches that spiderweb across slate skies. So, it’s a sheer godsend that Theo Hilton and his band, Nana Grizol, took the counterintuitive route and scheduled their new album, Ruth, to be released at the zenith of the winter months’ frost.

Ruth is aural serotonin, plain and simple, and it may be arriving just as you need it.

For starters, there’s the name. “If you look in the dictionary, it means compassion for the misery of others and also awareness of one’s own faults,” Hilton says. “Which I thought were both important things to have, to keep in mind. It’s just a real pretty name!” Some historical perspective: while Nana Grizol started initially as Hilton’s solo pseudonym, it eventually ballooned to include a team of crack Orange Twin-related playmates. The full band played its debut show, opening for Madeline, in 2007. “Pretty much instantly since then… Nana Grizol is no longer just me, it doesn’t have that possibility to be that,” says Hilton.

Hilton’s thoughtful enthusiasm is all over the album. Which brings me to the genuine pathos that’s soaked into the roots of Ruth. After wistfully recounting “a sunset so vivid and warm” and claiming to “loosen [his] heartstrings” on the opening track, Hilton concludes: “Cynicism isn’t wisdom/ It’s just a lazy way to say that you’ve been burned/ It seems that if anything/ You’d be less certain after everything you’ve learned.” Yes, getting older and moving on from the black-and-white certainties of youth is no picnic, but staying wide-eyed and optimistic seems to be the way to go. Jan. 2 marks the release of Ruth, and the band will be joined in celebration by long-distance tagteam The Awesomelies, New Socks and Black Mold Lightning. Get happy. [Jeff Tobias]

NEW SOCKS Warm, poppy folk with sweet boy/girl vocals, lots of smiles and unique instrumentation, including: ukulele, accordian, xylophone, clarinet and more.

Fat Daddy’s 10 p.m. FREE! 706-353-0241 KARAOKE Hosted by Lynn.

Go Bar 12:30 a.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ gobar “LATE NITE DISCO” The house deejay and occasional special guests spin a cool mix of disco, new wave and modern dance tunes for a sweaty closing-time crowd. Dance party begins after the live music.

Little Kings Shuffle Club 10 p.m. $3. www.myspace.com/littlekingsshuffleclub DWIGHT WILSON AND THE CLASSIC CITY SOUL Two sets of Motown rhythm and blues!

Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown GREEN EYED STARE Melodic rock band from Cleveland, GA with an alternative edge.

ROADSIDE PROPHETS Rock band.

SOUNDS OF SILENCE Local alternative rock band influenced by acts like Creed, Puddle of Mudd, etc.

Terrapin Beer Co. 5:30 p.m. www.terrapinbeer.com BLOSSOM CREEK BREEZE This duo plays relaxed, upbeat guitar tunes.

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 4 Flicker Theatre & Bar 9 p.m.–midnight. FREE! www.myspace. com/flickerbar KENOSHA KID One of Athens’ most prized and inventive jazz ensembles, Kenosha Kid begins its residency at Flicker tonight. It’s also guitarist Dan Nettles’ birthday party tonight!

Tuesday 5 Alibi 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 KARAOKE With the singing cowboy.

Buffalo’s Southwest Café 6–10 p.m. $5 (includes lessons). 706354-6655 DINE & DANCE NIGHT Beginners’ and advanced dance lessons every Tuesday from 6–7 p.m. followed by open dance until 10 p.m.

Fat Daddy’s 10 p.m. FREE! 706-353-0241 KARAOKE Hosted by Lynn.

Wednesday 6

Sunday 3

Fat Daddy’s 10 p.m.–1 a.m. FREE! 706-353-0241 OPEN MIC Every Wednesday featuring Avery Dylan.

Buffalo’s Southwest Café 6:30 p.m. 706-354-6655 GOSPEL REVIEW Every Sunday at Buffalo’s in their big back room.

Little Kings Shuffle Club 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/littlekingsshuffleclub EMILY ARMOND The singer/songwriter behind Sea of Dogs performs

175 E. Clayton St. • 706-369-7418

her heartfelt folk ballads solo over banjo and guitar.

YE OLDE SUB SHOPPE Local “mountain twee project.”

The Melting Point 8 p.m. www.meltingpointathens.com THE FUNKY BENEFIT FOR DJ ROMEO COLOGNE David Pierce, AKA Romeo Cologne, has been hosting funk and disco dance parties in Athens and Atlanta for more than 15 years.

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

Down the Line 1/7 Drew Davis / Justin Brogdon & 1 Story Town (40 Watt Club) 1/8 DJ Rich Rock’s “Winter Heat” (New Earth Music Hall) 1/8 Carolina Chocolate Drops (The Melting Point) 1/9 Kinchafoonee Cowboys (The Melting Point) 1/10 Stygian Apothegm (Kingpins Bowl & Brew) 1/11 T8R(TOT) (New Earth Music Hall) 1/13 ZoSo (The Melting Point) 1/15 Deaf Judges / Lord T and Eloise (New Earth Music Hall) 1/16 G.L.O.W. (New Earth Music Hall) 1/17 Music Hates You (Kingpins Bowl & Brew) 1/20 Leo Kottke (The Melting Point) 1/21 Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue (The Melting Point) 1/23 The Orkids (40 Watt Club) 2/28 Black Tusk / No / Pocketful of Claptonite (Kingpins Bowl & Brew) * Advance Tickets Available

DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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bulletin board DO SOMETHING; GET INVOLVED! NEW YEAR’S DeadlinE: The deadline for getting listed in Bulletin Board will be TUESDAY, Dec. 29 at 5 p.m. for the issue of Jan. 6. Email calendar@flagpole.com.

ART Call for Artists (Lyndon House Arts Center) Visions of MLK, an annual art show, is seeking submissions of visual art and poetry for 2010’s show, Forever Mightier Than the Sword. Entries should promote MLK Day and may be submitted before Jan. 6. 706-372-5375, under groundathens2@yahoo.com Call for Submissions (Lyndon House Arts Center) Accepting entries for its 35th Juried Art Exhibition on Jan. 28 (12:30–8:30 p.m.) and Jan. 29 (10 a.m.–4 p.m.). Open to Athens area artists working in all visual media. $20 submission fee (up to 3 works)706-613-3623, www.acc leisureservices.com

AUDITIONS Old Time Radio Show (Memorial Park, Quinn Hall) Athens Creative Theatre is holding auditions for its upcoming production in February.

All ages are welcome. Jan. 7, 7–9:30 p.m. 706-613-3628, www.athens creativetheatre.com

CLASSES

and children’s classes including Beginning Jazz, Ballet, Tap, HipHop, Praise Dancing 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 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 Fitness Fusion (Healing Arts Centre) Belly dancing infused with yoga and Pilates wisdom. Mondays, 7:30. 706-613-1143 Georgia Spiders Free Workshop (Active Climbing) A two-week workshop for kids who are ready to take climbing to the next level. Call for more information.

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5–6:30 p.m. 706-354-0038, adrian@active climbing.com Hoop Class (Canopy Studio) This guided hoop dance class helps develop fitness, balance, strength and flow. All skill levels welcome, but completion of basic hooping workshop encouraged. Fridays, 6:30–7:30 p.m. $15. www.canopy studio.com 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

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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 Adventure Club: Yoga Teacher Training (Rubber Soul Yoga Revolution Studio) A four-month workshop in yoga and life. Develop your own voice and methodology. Jan. 9–May 1. 706-

461-0262, calclements@yahoo. com, www.rubbersoulyoga.com/ adventure.html 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 Beginning to Intermediate Pottery (Lyndon House) Develop wheelthrowing, glazing and decorating techniques while you make your own unique stoneware! Jan. 14–Feb. 18, 706-613-3623, www.accleisure services.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@active climbing.com Chen Style Taijiquan (Floorspace) Effortless power.

Authentic Chinese martial lineage.

Register for ongoing instruction.

Sundays and Mondays, 706-6143342, telihu@gmail.com Classical Pilates (StudiO) Private instruction and group classes offered daily! Schedule online.

678-596-2956, www.studioin athens.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.good dirt.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 Dance Center Winter Classes (East Athens Educational Dance Center) Registering for adult

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Preston Snyder’s paintings are on exhibit at the ACC Library through December.

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 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 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 and meditate in this two-week session

of early-morning yoga. Registration required. 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–Mar. 4, Thursdays, 6:30–8:30 p.m. 706-613-3623, www.accleisureservices.com Pilates Classes (Balance Pilates and Wellness Studio) Offering high-quality instruction in Pilates and overall health. Mat classes and

ART AROUND TOWN A. La Fera Salon (2440 W. Broad St.) Paintings by Perry McCrackin. Through December.

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

ATHICA (160 Tracy Street) “Nurture,” an exhibit featuring video and photography by Amy Jenkins, explores the intimate, yet universal, issues of parenting and breast-feeding. Through February. Reception Jan. 9.

Aurum Studio (125 East Clayton St.) Paintings

by Christine Shockley-Gholson and John Gholson.

Through February.

Big City Bread Cafe (393 Finley St.) New charcoal drawings on paper by Mark Watkins. Through December.

Ciné Barcafé (234 W. Hancock Ave.) “Soundtrack to Nothing,” a collection of photographs by Christy Bush Fogarino documenting teenagers at rock concerts.

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

Flicker Theatre & Bar (263 W. Washington St.) Paintings by Andrew Cayce. Jan. 4–Feb. 1. (263 W. Washington St.) Shadowbox collages by Alexei Gural.

Through December.

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.

Just Pho…and More Work by Sutawee N. Thitaram. Through Jan. 30.

Krimson Kafe (40 Greensboro Hwy., Watkinsville) Mosaic artwork by J. Elizabeth Wright. Through December.

Lyndon House Arts Center (293 Hoyt St.) “Through Our Eyes: Portraits and Self-Portraits by

apparatus classes available! Full schedule and information about private lessons online. 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.athensfivepoints yoga.com Prenatal Yoga (Full Bloom Center) Thursdays. 5:30 p.m. $14/ class or $60/6 classes. 706-3533373, www.fullbloomparent.com Square Dancing Lessons (Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens) Classic City Squares offering lessons. New classes begin Jan. 4. 706-742-2378, www.classiccity squares.com 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

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.

O.K. Coffee (225 College Ave.) “Chipsmas with Mr. David,” an exhibit featuring paintings and collage by David Specht. 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 Red Eye Coffee (297 Prince Ave.) Hand-painted cityscapes on silk by Rene Shoemaker. Through Jan. 3.

Speakeasy (269 E. Broad St.) Paintings by Will Eskridge. Through December.

Transmetropolitan (145 E. Clayton St.) Acrylic paintings by Anna Beth Eason. Through January.

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.

p.m. 706-548-0077, www.liveoak martialarts.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 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 Tennis Registration (Bishop Park) Currently registering for tennis classes! Youth and adult classes available. 706-613-3592, www. tennisforlife.net 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 Yoga and Tai Chi (Mind Body Institute) New classes beginning Jan. 10! Visit online for complete listing. 706-475-7329, www.armc. org/mbi 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.athens omtownyoga.com Zumba at the Garden (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves comprise this dynamic fitness program. Wednesdays, Jan. 6–Feb. 24.

5:30 – 6:30 p.m. $10/class, $60/ session. www.uga.edu/botgarden

HELP OUT! Become a Mentor (Boys and Girls Clubs of Athens) Volunteer one hour per week to make a difference in the life of a child. Training provided. 706-546-4910, mentor@ athensbgca.com, www.fflife.net Teach English as a Second Language (Various Locations) Catholic Charities seeks volunteers to teach adult English classes in the evenings. Ongoing training available beginning Jan. 23. 404-516-7949, vpflug@archatl.com

KIDSTUFF GEN Homeschool Club (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Garden Earth Naturalist Club for homeschoolers. Meet once a week to learn about pollination, air and water purification, pest control, soil production and recycling through discovery hunts, environmental games, nature hikes and crafts. Wednesdays, Jan. 6–Feb. 24, 9–11 a.m. $44. 706542-6156 Gifts from Nature Mini Camp (Sandy Creek Nature Center) Explore nature, make crafts and enjoy snacks at these morning nature retreats!

Now registering. Dec. 29–31, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. $16. 706-6133615, www.accleisureservices.com/ holidayevents.shtml Gymnastics (Bishop Park) Now registering for winter/spring gymnastics programs! 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@canopy studio.com Winter Blast Holiday Camp (Lay Park) Get out of the house and get into arts and crafts, games, cooking and more! For kids ages 6–12. Dec. 28–30, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. $11. 706-613-3596 Winter Break Camp (Rocksprings Park) Four days of Nickelodeon-themed crafts, computer activities, games and sports!

For ages 6–12. Space is limited; register by Dec. 22. Dec. 28–Dec. 31, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. $11. 706-6133603, www.accleisureservices.com/ holidayevents.shtml Yoga Sprouts (Memorial Park) Fun, playful yoga for kids ages 2 and up. Now registering! Call for information on sessions, fees and scholarships. Tuesdays. 706-353-3373

PUSH

for special events.

We’ll design & print your programs, tickets and invitations.

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 12step program open to anyone with a desire to become well emotionally.

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 Survivors of Suicide (Nuçi’s Space) Open to anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide. Meets the third Wednesday of every month.

5:30 p.m. 706-227-1515, linda@ nuci.org

163 E. Broad Street 163 E Broad Stre Downtown Athens

706-548-3648 706-548 648 www.bel-jean.com

ON THE STREET 4th Annual 5K New Year’s at Noon (Sandy Creek Park) Proceeds from the race go to Bobby’s Learning Garden. Hot soup, chili and refreshments after the race. Now registering! Jan. 1, noon. $25. 706296-5353, www.runningintheusa. com/crs/ Band Together: Help Rebuild the Georgia Theatre (Georgia Theatre) The Georgia Theatre and the GA 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 Christmas Tree-Cycling (Call for location) Bring one for the chipper! Call for drop-off locations. Jan. 9, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. 706-613-3501 Emerging Filmmakers’ Shorts Competition (Email for Location) The Athens Jewish Film Festival is now accepting entries in a short film competition.

Entries may be 90 seconds to five minutes in length. Deadline for submission: Jan. 12. www.athensjff.org Second Annual Chilly Dawg 5K (Sandy Creek Park) Get a healthy start to 2010 when you register for this 5K run/walk. Proceeds benefit the College of Family and Consumer Sciences Alumni Association and the ARCH Foundation of UGA. Deadline to register: Jan. 28 Jan. 30, 9 a.m. $17 (before Jan. 22). $20 (after Jan. 22). 706-542-3386, www. active.com f

Drop/Add UGA Online UGA On Courses C MORE THAN 75 COURSES ONLINE For more information or to register:

www.georgiacenter.uga.edu/flagpole 706-542-3243 1-800-877-3243 See your academic advisor about applying specific IDL courses to your program of study.

Independent and Distance Learning (IDL)

Suite 193 • 1197 South Lumpkin Street • Athens, GA The University of Georgia is committed to principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action.

DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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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.

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009

reality check He is so sweet and he literally tells me every day the reasons why we should be together and why he loves me even though I broke up with him. He’s also not exactly what you would call emotionally stable, and I worry about him in that respect as well.

I’m not sure really what my question is here but, I guess, should I be “cruel to be kind” and find a new place, move out and never talk to him again, so that he can forget me and I can really focus on fixing things with my ex? Should I stay here and try to “be friends” with him? Should I try to be “friends and sometimes more” so that if things don’t work out with my ex we might have another shot?

(After all, we were pretty good together, and he has to grow up sometime right?) I mean, I really think my ex and I are supposed to be together, but what if we get back together and we’ve changed too much while we were apart or I find myself missing things about this guy? Oh, and to top it off, I’m trying to deal with grad school, so this really just isn’t the best time to deal with this at all.

A Pretty Boy or a Good Man? For somebody who thinks they’re so grown up, you sure are acting like a spoiled little kid. You are not doing this guy any favors by sticking around to make sure he’s OK. You broke his heart and you need to move out.

That means not just friends and absolutely not friends with benefits. Can’t you see that you’re just toying with the guy?

Will things work out with your ex? Doesn’t matter. You have decided to try, and living with the other guy isn’t fair to him, either. What you need to do is stop waffling. You’ve made a choice, now stick to it. If things don’t work out with your ex (which is going to be difficult long-distance, by the way, so be prepared for that), then you can see if he’s enough of a grownup for you, and he can see if maybe you’re less selfish.

IKE JANE

&

Matters Of The Heart And Loins So, as seems to be the case with the questions I see posted here, this is a long and complicated story. To begin with, I dated one guy for about five years, from the time I was 18 until I was almost 23. We were planning on moving to Athens together so that I could attend grad school, but shortly before we began planning the move he got very distant and eventually told me that he thought things weren’t like they should be between us anymore and that he didn’t want to move to Athens after all. I was extremely hurt and pushed forward my move almost three months just to get away from all the painful memories.

Here in Athens I almost immediately met a new guy who is much younger than me (he was 19 when we met) and began a thing.

I say “a thing” because I never intended for it to be a relationship. I told him about my ex and that I was still in love with him and that I really wanted to get back together with him someday. He said he understood and that he just enjoyed spending time with me, wanted to make me happy, etc. It turned out that we actually worked out pretty well together (great sex, similar views on life, shared interests, etc.) and were together for nearly seven months. Despite the fact that he made me happy, I never stopped thinking about my ex, and I never saw a future with him. We did have our problems as well, mostly based on the age difference (he isn’t exactly responsible with money, school, job, housekeeping, etc). There are many things about him that were very refreshing after my ex; he is very passionate about things, whether it’s music or me or movies. He is creative and has a fantastic singing voice. He wrote songs and poems for me, and did I mention the sex was great? (Way better than with my ex.)

Throughout this time I still talked to my ex. We talked in vague terms about trying again someday and never stopped telling each other “I love you.” I was always honest with my current beau about my ex and tried really hard not to mislead him, though I may not have done the best job with that.

Recently my ex decided that he had made a huge mistake in leaving me and that he really wants to try to work things out.

Because of circumstances (distance, jobs, etc.) we can’t really do much right now except talk and try to see each other every couple of months or so. I went home for a wedding last weekend and spent a lot of time with my ex; nothing happened physically but when I got back to Athens, being with my current boyfriend just seemed wrong, so I tried to break it off. Problem is, it was actually a lot harder for me than I thought it would be; I didn’t realize how attached I had gotten to him in the time we’ve been together. Also, we and another roommate all live together, so I have to see him every day. Some days he’s being upset and pitiful and I end up comforting him, some days I miss him and we end up sleeping together.

Either way we are still spending as much if not more time together than we did as a couple.

from the crew at

1307 Prince Ave

Come see us for daily challenges, soups, and goodies.

Oh, did we mention donuts?! We love Donuts... and you!

free small coffee on New Year’s Day only valid with coupon

get into the SPIRIT

of the SEASON

junkman's daughter's brother 458 e. clayton 706-543-4454

mon-sat 11-7pm sun 12-6pm

I have been dating and now living with a guy for about 10 months.

At first, he was wonderful, blah, blah, blah… I had another boyfriend the first four months of our relationship. I broke it off, other guy got mad and told current guy. Now I am treated very cruelly and just bad. He doesn’t hit me but is extremely verbally and emotionally abusive. He will not let me out of his sight. I work; he does not. I pay all the bills (his included), and he totally lives off me.

I am truly afraid to get out of this; I am afraid of him and feel I have no way out. He says he loves me but I don’t think he even likes me.

What to Do??

I’m going to just quote Dan Savage here and tell you to dump the MF already. Simple as that. Oh, and next time try starting a relationship with honesty and see if that doesn’t work out better for you.

Jyl Inov Got a question for Jyl? Submit your anonymous inquiry via the Reality Check button at www.flagpole.com.

DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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classifieds

Buy It, Sell It, Rent It, Use It! Place an ad anytime at flagpole.com  Indicates images available at flagpole.com

Real Estate Apartments for Rent $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​property​ management.com, (706) 548-9797. $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. for $475/mo.

2BR apt. starting at $700/ mo. 3BR apt starting at $1000/mo. All close to campus! Howard Properties (706) 546-0300.

1BR apt. w/ full kit. & BA. W/D. incl. $400/mo. + $400/ sec dep. Avail. now. Won’t last! (706) 254-2936.

1BR/1BA + study/guest room. Stadium Village Apts. Security gates, pool, fitness center. 1 mi. from campus. Excellent condition.

Reduced $500/mo. Call Rob (706) 338-4984, email robwimberly@gmail.com.

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.

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) 227-6000 or (706) 461-2349.

flagpole classifieds Reach Over 30,000 Readers Every Week!

Business Services Real Estate Music For Sale

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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

* Ad enhancement prices are viewable at flagpole.com ** Run-‘Til-Sold rates are for MERCHANDISE ONLY *** Available for individual rate categories only

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

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/2BA apt in East Athens.

Par tially fur nished. Big kitchen, deck. $725/mo.

(706) 614-6947.

2BR/1BA, Deville 136 G r a d y Av e . $695/mo.

Great place to live, upstairs, HWflrs, pool, courtyard. Call for showing (706) 548-9797, w w w. b o u l e v a rd ​p ro p e r t y​ management.com.

2BR/2BA. Prefer professionals, grad students.

CHAC. New construction, safe & quiet. Total electric.

6 mo., school term or 1 year lease avail. (706) 206-3345.



2BR/1BA newly renovated apt. in ARMC area. Avail. Jan. 1 s t . Pe r f e c t f o r f a m i l y, professionals, grad students, nurses. CHAC, off–street parking. Safe quiet n’hood.

Total electric. $550/mo. (706) 543-4556.

3BR/2.5BA townhome off Riverbend. Tons of space!

Finished basement, front porch & back deck. Pool & tennis community. Only $900/mo. Aaron (706) 207-2957.

Best proper ty in town!

Woodlands of Athens.

3BR/3BA full of amenities.

Gated community, great specials. Reduced to only $1050/mo. Call Pete (706) 372-3319.

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.

Artist studio/garden cottage.

Very 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.

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.

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. $ 5 7 5 / m o . O w n e r / B ro k er Herber t Bond Realty & Investment. (706) 224-8002.

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.3 B R / 2 B A , FP, $650/mo., corner lot. Call McWaters Realty, (706) 549-3222, (706) 353-2700 or cell (706) 540-1529.

West Athens, just off Prince. $595/mo. 2BR/2BA apt.

Living room w/ FP, eat–in kitchen, deck. High speed internet avail. Avail. now.

(706) 614-6947.

$100–$150 Studio spaces.

Great location, cool spaces.

1 block from town. (706) 5489797, boulevard​property​ management.com.

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) 4254048 or (706) 296-1863.

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​property​ management.com.

Borders! Print version of the Classifieds. Pictures!

Check them out on the Flagpole website. New Categories! And still the lowest rates in town!Place your ad today at www. flagpole.com.

Commercial Property



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) 621-1035 or Ken (706) 614-8295. More info: www. kpsurplus.com/products/ view/26554.

5K sq. ft. Building/ Warehouse for sale or lease in Crawford, 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.

 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 S p a c e s 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.

WELCH PLACE

CALL DEALFOR S!

The BEST Deal in Five Points Just Got Better! $

From 315 a Bedroom

• 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

36

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009

3BR Townhomes and 4BR/3BA Townhouse w/ Study Includes Washer & Dryer, Free Wireless and 42” Plasma TV! Call Today for viewing.

706-549-7371

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 sq. ft. $1200/mo.

450 sq. ft. $600/mo. 170 sq. ft. $375/mo. (706) 5461615 or www.athenstown properties.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 Ar tist Studio.

Historic Blvd area. Artist C o m m u n i t y. 1 6 0 Tr a c y 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 1688 Prince Ave. 2BR/1BA condo close to Agua Linda.

1.5mi from Dwntn. A quick walk to the farmers’ market! $600/month + utils. Call Cord (706) 363-0803.

2BR/1BA condo. Campus close. Security gate, pool, fitness center. Located at Stadium Village. Excellent condition. $600/mo. or $200/ wk. (706) 206-2347.

Deluxe condo at Berkshire Commons. Lg. split 2BR/2BA, HWflrs., gourmet kitchen, on the busline. Off S. Milledge Ave. $950/mo.

Call Joiner & Associates (706) 549-7371.

Duplexes For Rent 2BR/1.5BA. Jolly Lane in Sleepy Hollow Subdivision.

Near UGA, Memorial Park & Birchmore Trail. W/D, D W, C H A C , F P. A v a i l now. $650/mo. Call April (706) 549-5006, go to w w w. a t h e n s c o n d o sales.com.

2BR/1BA duplexes on Westside. 171 & 173 Nicole C i r c l e . W / D c o n n . F P, CHAC, fenced yd. $425/ mo. & dep. each. (706) 498-4733.

2BR/1.5BA East Athens Duplex. Fresh paint, W/D, DW, range, fridge, trash & yard service incl. Pets OK. Available now! $550/ mo. Call Mike toll free (877) 740-1514.

5 Pts. Bring your little pooch for the fenced yard & you for the remodeled 2BR/1BA duplex. Near Memorial Park.

HWflrs, new kitchen, W/D. $650 w/ pet, $625 w/o pet.

Sec. dep., no pet fee for 1 pet. Call Joiner & Associates (706) 549-7371.

Houses for Rent



$1250/mo. 3BR/2BA, Huge bonus rm., split floor plan, completely remodeled, vaulted ceiling, granite tops, HWflrs., stainless steel appls., 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. $925/mo. 3BR/2BA, office, dining room, remodeled, excellent 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.



$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.



$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.

1BR/1BA. $495-525/ 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 b o u l e v a r d ​p r o p e r t y​ management.com.

1080 Oglethorpe Ave. City busline. 2BR/1BA + bonus room, laundry room, patio.

Neat condition, great location. Lawn maintenance possible. Perfect for 2 grad students/professionals. Short lease avail. $750–$850/ mo. (706) 338-7990, (706) 353-0708.

1695 W. Hancock. 3BR/2BA. CHAC, W/D, DW, fenced, pets OK, bands OK, HWflrs.

Close to Dwntn. Sec. sys. $650/mo. Avail. Jan 1st.

Call/text (706) 714-4486, email hathawayproperties@ gmail.com.

2BR/1BA cute cottage w/ front porch. CHAC, near UGA. $800/mo. Avail. now.

Also, ask about 2 other houses avail. now. Call (706) 354-1276 or (706) 540-7812.

2BR/1BA off Pulaski St. 238 1/2 Cleveland Ave. CHAC, W/D, screened porch. $450/ mo. Call/text (706) 714-4486, email richardhathaway@ gmail.com.

2BR/1BA house. Close to campus/Dwntn. AC, W/D, DW, Pets OK. Fenced–in yard. $700/mo. Avail. now!

(706) 296-4034. Email apexsigns@bellsouth.net.

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.

2BR/2BA new house Dwntn.

Spacious & less than 1 mi. from Arch. W/D incl.

Upgrades galore. $1050/mo.

Avail. August. Aaron (706) 207-2957.

3BR/1.5BA brick ranch. Band room, CHAC, HWflrs., huge fenced yd. 2 mi. to Dwntn.

Reduced to $725/mo. (706) 549-4580.

3BR/2BA historic farmhouse in Lexington, GA. Pls. call (706) 549-6070.

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 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/2BA. Walk Downtown. Avail. Jan! Huge organic 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. 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/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 house Eastside.

Quiet n’hood. $900/mo. All appls. 213 Springtree St. Avail. now! (706) 713-0626.

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) 614-6947.

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.

576 Whitehead Rd. Small 2BR/1BA. Almost 2 acre lot.

Fenced yard, pets OK. No pet fees! CHAC. A must see! $695/mo. (706) 254-2569.

5 Pts. area. 3BR/2BA house.

CHAC, DW, laundry rm. w/ W/D, back deck, carport.

Call (706) 255-0066.

Available now! 3BR/1BA. Blvd. HWflrs., W/D. Pets OK. CHVAC. $900/mo. Call Tom (706) 540-2432.

Avail. now. 3BR/2BA. Off Milledge. CHAC, W/D, HWflrs. $700/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.

Convenient Eastside location.

2BR/1BA. Close to schools & shopping. All appls. incl.

W/D. Avail. now. $525/mo.

Carole Moon Owner/Agent (706) 540-0472.

Forest Heights. Newly remodeled. 3BR/2BA, custom everything, Nice yd. $1K. (706) 296-1200.

For Sale or Rent. 3BR/1BA in 5 Pts. 176 Habersham Dr. Avail. now! Pets OK. W/D & CHAC incl. $139,900 or $900/mo. Call Calvin (404) 597-6056.

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! ( 7 0 6 ) 5 4 8 - 2 5 2 2 , w w w. dovetailmanagement.com.

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.

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.

Houses for Sale 135 Pineforest. $139,900.

3BR/2BA in Forest Heights.

Call Reign at Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty (706) 543-4000 (706) 372-4166.

115 Hight. Watkinsville, Ga. $123,889. 3BR/1.5BA. Completely renovated! Call Reign at Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty (706) 5434000, or (706) 372-4166.

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.

708 Aycock. Lexington, Ga. $178,500. 3BR/2BA on 15+ acre Horse Farm. Call Reign at Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty (706) 543-4000, (706) 372-4166.

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.

Female to share 2BR/2BA with great roommate. Rivermill Apts. 5 min to Dwntn/UGA. $353/mo. Everything incl. except electric & Internet.

Avail. now! Furnished. (703) 338-8042.

In the country. Fun, liberal, photographer, neat freak looking for roommate in nice gated home, private BA, 1/2 office avail. Possibly space for horse & child. $500–700/ mo, depending on needs.

Sec. dep. & refs. req’d. Call (706) 654-8712.

Look! 2 M/F needed for 3BR/2BA. W/D, DW, FP, deck, fenced yds., garage, cool roommates. $325/mo.+ utils. 10 min. drive to Dwntn.

(352) 215-0056.

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 ASAP for house off Pulaski St. Screened porch, W/D. Only a 10 min. walk from Dwntn.

Only $250/mo. Call (706) 548-9744 today!

Room avail. immediately for student. Renovated house right behind ARMC. Biking distance to UGA. Fenced yd.

Pets OK w/ dep. $300/mo. + 1/3 utils. (404) 713-0655.

Rooms for Rent $425/mo. Jan. rent free!

3rd housemate needed for room in beautifully renovated 3BR/3.5BA house w/ M/F PhD students. Incredible location: Pulaski/Prince.

Avail. immediately. Email gfelis@uga.edu.

4 blocks to town/UGA. Oconee river. Weekly. Long distance/Internet, cable, TV & refrigerator. Private entrance. No drugs. (706) 850-0491, 957 MLK. Picture window, see deer feeding.

Avail. now! Spacious room for rent in 3BR/2.5BA house.

Great location on Eastside! $350/mo. + 1/2 utils. Extras!

Email tyler_brabson@yahoo. com or Call (706) 254-7889.

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 $275/mo. + 1/3 utils. Master BR w/ priv. BA in 3BR house.

Newly renovated. Convenient Eastside. W/D, DW, big yard, pets ok. Avail. Jan 1st. or before. Lease ends Aug. 1st.

M/F students current. (864) 237-0049.

Av a i l a b l e i m m e d i a t e l y !

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 Ear thFare, 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.

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 Furniture 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.

Ta b l e s , c h a i r s , s o f a s , antiques, clothes, records & players, retro goods, & more!

Cool, affordable furniture every day. Go to Agora!

Your favorite ever ything 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 Gibson Explorer, black w/ black pick guard. Like new, case included. $850. Call Scott at (706) 207-5117.

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.

➤ continued on next page

DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

37

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.

Instruction Athens School of Music.

Instruction in Guitar, Bass, Drums, Piano, Voice, Brass, Woodwinds, Strings, Banjo, Mandolin, Fiddle, & more.

From beginner to expert.

Instrument repairs avail.

(706) 543-5800.

Music Services Fret Shop. Professional guitar repairs & modifications, setups, electronics, precision fretwork. Previous clients incl.

R.E.M., Widespread Panic, Cracker, Bob Mould, John Berry, Abbey Road Live!, Squat. (706) 549-1567.

Guitar Repair, setups, electronics & fretwork by 20 yr. pro. Thousands of previous clients. Proceeds help benefit Nuçi’s Space.

Contact Jeff (404) 643-9772 or www.AthensGuitar.com for details.

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 & p a r t y b a n d . w w w. themagictones.com.

Services Computer Brand new Desktop PCs. High quality, low prices.

3GHz dual–core, DVD–RW, 2GB RAM, Win7. $400!

Professional PC/Mac/Laptop repair, service, maintenance.

Virus? Slow? Crash? Call!

(706) 424-2195.

Health Penis enlargement. Gain 1 - 3 ” p e r m a n e n t l y. F D A approved medical vacuum pumps, Testosterone, Viagra, Cialis. Free brochure. (619) 2 9 4 - 7 7 7 7 , h t t p : / / w w w. drjoelkaplan.com. Discounts avail. (AAN CAN).

38

P re g n a n t ? C o n s i d e r i n g adoption? Talk w/ caring agency specializing in matching birthmothers w/ families nationwide. Living expenses paid. Abby’s One True Gift Adoptions. (866) 413-6293 (AAN CAN).

Home and Garden Borders! Print version of the Classifieds. Pictures!

Check them out on the Flagpole website. New Categories! And still the lowest rates in town!Place your ad today at www. flagpole.com.

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 har m. Open to teenage girls age 16–18. Receive $300 upon completion of study! For more info, pls email the Eating, Drinking, & Personality Research lab at the University of Georgia at bnstudy@uga.edu, or call (706) 542-3827.

Backyard Solutions.

Make your neighbors jealous! Waterfalls, ponds, fences, decks, gazebos, porches, & more! Call Robin for free estimate! (706) 340-4492.

Earn extra income assembling CD cases from home. No experience necessary. Call our live operators now. (800) 4057619 ext. 2450. http://www. e a s y w o r k - g re a t p a y. c o m (AAN CAN).

James Wood’s Homes Repairs.

Steps, porches, decks, doors, raised bed gardens, rotten wood, painting, wallpaper removed, drywall repair, pressure washing screening.

15yrs. exp. References. (706) 206-5813.

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).

Jobs Full-time 30+ hour position caring for creative, intelligent 4 yr. old girl in our home. Progressive, NS w/ excellent references & driving record req’d.

Apprx. $275/weekly. Contact rabunrabbit@gmail.com.

Holiday Inn is seeking qualified candidates for Sous Chef. 5 yrs. exp. Supervisory skills preferred. Salary BOE. Please apply in person: 197 E. Broad St. Athens, GA. Email Nicole.brooks@ hi-athens.com.

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!

Internships Flagpole is looking for an editorial intern to help out in our Music Dept. Candidates must be passionate about local & indie music, organized & driven, proficient w/ computers, & interested in pursuing a career in journalism. Send a cover letter, resume, & writing samples to music@ flagpole.com.

Part-time Looking for PT driver. Must have drivers license & vehicle. (706) 338-1086.

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

Opportunities

Motorcycles

High School diploma! Fast, affordable & accredited. (800) 532-6546 ext. 97. Go to http:// www.continentalacademy. com (AAN CAN).

1997 Kawasaki Ninja. 250cc.

Flat black. Runs great. $995.

Call (706) 372-8819.

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009

For Sale. 2007 250 Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle. Black w/ red flames. Like new, only 14 mi. Reduced $2K firm. Call (706) 788-3160.

everyday people PENNY FAIR, BANK CUSTOMER SERVICE REP “You should do an Everyday People on Penny Fair over at the downtown Wachovia. She makes me actually trust those people.” Not long after that brief email from Flagpole music writer Jeff Tobias, I was off to downtown’s most frequented bank to ask Penny for an interview. She’s not hard to find, given that she’s usually behind the podium near the front doors. Penny lives three and a half miles away on a “postage stamp,” as she calls it, on the west side of town with her husband, Larry, and her dog, Hank. Her 24-year-old son Chris lives in town and banks with Wachovia, but Penny promises that she’s never used her special powers to snoop around in his account. I sat down with Penny in her office facing College Avenue during her first break of a typically busy day.

Flagpole: What exactly do you do here at the bank?

Penny Fair: Boy, I do all kinds of stuff. I open accounts…

I mainly do customer service; I enjoy helping people. At this branch we tend to have a lot of students with issues on their accounts, so I try to help them solve those issues and teach them how to manage their accounts. Some people call me the “Bank Mom.”

FP: How did you get into doing this?

PF: Well, I’ve been doing it about 13 years, and I don’t know… that’s a good question, ‘cause I never thought I’d be in banking! [Laughs.]

Actually, three of my sisters were working with Wachovia, and they talked me into interviewing. And actually, I’m the only one left—they’ve all left.

FP: Did you start in this position or did you work your way up?

PF: I started out as a teller and worked my way up, actually, I was a manager here. I did that for about four years and I decided that wasn’t really where I wanted to be. I like doing customer service.

FP: So, you demoted yourself, essentially?

PF: Mm hmm. I stepped down… when you have employees, you spend all your time dealing with the employees [rather than] dealing with customers… and I had a hard time turning [customer service] over for somebody else to do.

FP: What do you like to do when you’re not working?

PF: I like to read. I like to relax. I like to do yard work. I like to cook…

FP: What kind of stuff do you like to read?

PF: Stuff that doesn’t require any concentration.

FP: Like Danielle Steel, or something like that?

Charles-Ryan Barber

FP: What’s the most common problem you have to deal with?

PF: Overdrafts are a big one. I also spend a lot of time explaining how a debit card works and the importance of keeping a register.

repaired, but I decided it was easier to get a job and go to work every day.

WUGA C the lassic

FP: Three of your sisters— you have more?

PF: I have six actually, seven of us all together.

91.7

97.9fm

FP: No brothers?

PF: No brothers.

FP: Wow, what are the odds of that?*…What’s that like, having six sisters?

PF: It’s tough. You try growing up with all girls. [Laughs.]

PF: Yeah, exactly. I call it “brain candy.” I like to watch soap operas, too. My husband said: “Why do you like to [watch] that?” I’m like: “It’s brain candy. It’s their problems.”

FP: I’ve heard they can be pretty vicious…

PF: Mm hmm. Oh, yeah, I mean, we used to beat the everlovin’ snot out of one another.

FP: And what do you like to cook?

PF: I like to cook anything, but, man, I guess I like to cook desserts.

FP: Where are you in the order?

PF: I’m in the middle, which is the worst place to be. I have three older and three younger. And the funny part is: there were three older, then there was five years, and then there’s me, and then there’s a couple years, and then there’s three more. So, it’s kinda like having two different families.

FP: Why is it the worst to be in the middle?

PF: I always told my mother I never got any attention. I had three older sisters screaming at her, beating each other up, then I had three babies below me—taking care of three babies, how much attention do you think I got?

FP: You said you never thought you’d be in banking. What did you think you would be doing?

PF: Never really knew. I did a lot of things before I ever got into banking. I worked for UPS, drove a truck. I worked at home for like 10 years when I had my first child; I did crafts and stuff, and I was always pretty handy; that’s what I liked doing. I painted little Santa Clauses and all these little things; I did craft shows so I could stay at home with my son.

But I wore out my shoulders, my rotator cuffs… they’ve been

FP: What’s your specialty?

PF: I make a dang good apple pie.

FP: What’s the secret to a good apple pie?

PF: Use good apples. My best apple lately has been what’s called a “Pink Lady.” I go to Gainesville; I just bought a bushel up there… I [also] make apple butter.

FP: What would you change about Athens, if you could?

PF: The taxes. Lower the taxes, ‘cause when you live in Clarke County, they tax the ever-lovin’ heck out of you… I pay about a thousand dollars more in taxes to live in Clarke County than I did to live in Jackson County. And I lived on five acres where I came from.

FP: What’s your pet peeve?

PF: When people leave their dogs in cars. That just ticks me off.

Jeff Gore *According to In-Gender.com, those odds are 1.6 percent.

DECEMBER 23 & 30, 2009 · FLAGPOLE.COM

39

SHOP YOUR

ATFFH! O

THANKS YOU

SHOP YOUR ATH OFF!,

FOR SUPPORTING FLAGPOLE’S MOVEMENT TO ENCOURAGE SPENDING THE AT LOCAL, INDEPENDENT BUSINESSES AND WITH LOCAL ARTISTS WHO ARE THE BACKBONE OF OUR COMMUNITY!

WITH YOUR HELP, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE ECONOMIC HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY WHILE PROTECTING THE INDIE BUSINESSES THAT MAKE OUR CITY UNIQUE.

HUNDREDS

OF ATHENIANS MADE THE PLEDGE TO TRY TO SPEND $100 AT ATHENS’ INDEPENDENT BUSINESSES THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!

So whether you are shopping, eating, drinking or seeking entertainment,

THINK LOCAL FIRST!

On behalf of Flagpole, we wish you peace and happiness this holiday season, and give our sincerest thanks for your pledge. 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 1/31/10 • Willy’s Mexicana Grill

Spend the night with us

NEW YEAR’S EVE

& Party in The Rialto Room

AT HOTEL INDIGO

Reserve Online: www.indigoathens.com Or Call # 706.546.0430

we cater to a crowd!

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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

HOTEL PACKAGE

PARTY ADMISSION

includes room night, admission for two to the party, a bottle of Bubbly, & complimentary breakfast

includes glass of Bubbly at stroke of midnight & entertainment featuring THE COMMON PEOPLE, Athens’ own Motown Band

12/31/09 Special $189 Per Couple

9pm - 1am $50 Per Person

TM

College AT H 500 EN S ,Avenue, G AAthens, GA 30601