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MLK Service Day p. 9 · 2009 Movie Wrap-Up p. 15 · Charlie Garrett Band p. 26 · Soul Sunday p. 27

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pub notes Paper Trail After I left home to go to college I lived in a succession of dorm, fraternity house and other furnished rooms, generally dependent on the nearest pay phone for voice communication.

No email, no computer or cell phone, hence, no text or Twitter.

Letters were the tangible equivalents of email. News from home generally came by way of letters from my mother and from my father, sometimes from my sisters. Mamma’s letters were handwritten with an ink fountain pen and generally told me what was happening in the family, how Daddy was feeling or what she was up to, attending Methodist Church conferences, etc. My mamma wrote a lot of letters in the course of her church work, many of which I mailed, when still at home or visiting, by racing the 11:15 p.m. train to the station in order to get a letter delivered in Atlanta the next day.

Now, as a father with a daughter out of town, reachable at least by text message, I can especially appreciate my father’s letters, because he was not a letter writer, except for business purposes.

His office was right in the middle of our family store, set off only by a counter and open to the activity around him, not conducive to concentration, although the Camels helped.

I always had the impression that in order to write me a letter he would come back downtown to the store after going home He put a lot of for supper, and I can see him himself into those there, the overhead fluorescent the only light, the groceries, letters, and it came dress shirts and shoes beyond through, much of it in the surrounding gloom.

There he sits, smoke curling unwritten but there up toward the light, thinking of me, over in Athens or anyway, between up in New York. Of course, he couldn’t write that he missed the lines pounded me; hell, he couldn’t even say into the paper. he loved me. Men didn’t hug then. So, he told me what Mamma was doing, what my sisters and their families were up to, which aunts or uncles were ill, what the weather was, what was going on in politics—which he loved as much as he loved sports, never having competed in either.

His version of email was a little more laborious to produce than tickling these computer keys. His handwriting was illegible, so he wrote letters on a Royal manual desk model typewriter, meaning no electrical power, just pounding away on the keys, using only his two index fingers. He was a rapid typist and would be a holy terror as a texter. The Royal was unforgiving; a key struck was a letter printed, no way to delete it if it was the wrong letter or your thought went awry and you wanted to re-phrase what you had just written. Of course, you could go back and strike through it and start over, and my father’s letters were full of strikethroughs: words and phrases x-ed out and rewritten. Reading through them, you got a sense of the work that had gone into getting them onto the paper.

His typewriter was typically equipped with a two-tone, black and red ribbon. The red was useful for accounting purposes, I guess, but he also employed it skillfully in emphasizing things he wanted me to be sure to remember, the written equivalent to jabbing me in the chest, had I been within reach, with one of those same index fingers to drive home a point he was trying to make or to get me to concentrate on directions he was giving me.

In addition to the x-ed out mistakes and red emphases, his letters occasionally held particles of ash and, once in a while, might display an actual cigarette burn and, depending on the condition of his typewriter and his ribbon, some keys might be smudged, a dirty “e” leaving the kind of telltale trail that trips up spies in old novels.

He put a lot of himself into those letters, and it came through, much of it unwritten but there anyway, between the lines pounded into the paper. Those letters also included from time to time newspaper clippings or even a photograph and— always a pleasant discovery—maybe a check.

Better than email? Different: artifacts of another age, a presence across the years. Further x-ed out by age and termites, his letters remain, though fragmentary now like memory, evidence of enduring love.

Pete McCommons editor@flagpole.com

THIS WEEK’S ISSUE: News & Features City Dope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Athens News and Views

A big week in the news for Commissioner Doug Lowry.

Comment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Conservatism as a Painful Rectal Itch

Maybe the Republicans are withholding more than their support for health care reform.

Arts & Events Art Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Out of This World

Andrew Cayce’s repertoire of eccentric creatures inhabit Flicker Theatre & Bar this month.

2009 from a Darkened Theater . . . . . . . . . 15 A Look at Last Year’s Movies

Drew counts down his favorite (and least favorite) movies of 2009.

COVER DESIGN by Kelly Ruberto featuring a painting by Jim Herbert on display at the Lamar Dodd School of Art

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Music Drive-By Truckers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Three-Night Stand with Three Generations of Musicians

Patterson Hood invites his dad and Camp Amped kids to open for the Truckers.

Your Decade in Athens Music . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Plus, Some of Our Favorite Threats & Promises from 00–09 Here are some of your favorite Athens music moments from the aughts.

CITY DOPE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 CITY PAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 WORLD VIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 CAPITOL IMPACT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 ATHENS RISING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 COMMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 MISCELLANY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 2009 IN ART. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 ART NOTES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 THE READER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 MOVIE DOPE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 MOVIE PICK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 FILM NOTEBOOK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

2009 IN CINEMA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 THREATS & PROMISES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 RECORD REVIEWS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 HOGAKU. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 YOUR DECADE IN ATHENS MUSIC. . . . . . 21 THE CALENDAR!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 BULLETIN BOARD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 ART AROUND TOWN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 COMICS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 REALITY CHECK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 EVERYDAY PEOPLE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

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This week at Flagpole.COM

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 Grub Notes keeps you up-to-date on restaurant openings and closings

 Miscellany blogs about art and movie openings, plus local politics

 Don’t Miss: Our music editor’s weekly concert picks.  Follow us on Twitter! For late breaking music news and fun. www.twitter.com/FlagpoleMusic

Check out our Homedrone music blog, too.

EDITOR & PUBLISHER Pete McCommons ADVERTISING DIRECTOR & PUBLISHER Alicia Nickles PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Larry Tenner MANAGING EDITOR Christina Cotter ADVERTISING SALES Anita Aubrey, Melinda Edwards, Jessica Pritchard MUSIC EDITOR Michelle Gilzenrat CITY EDITOR Dave Marr CLASSIFIEDS, DISTRIBUTION & OFFICE MANAGER Paul Karjian AD DESIGNERS Ian Rickert, Kelly Ruberto CARTOONISTS James Allen, Cameron Bogue, Jacob Hunt, Missy Kulik, Jeremy Long, David Mack, Clint McElroy, Ryan Hall ADOPT ME Special Agent Cindy Jerrell CONTRIBUTORS Christopher Benton, Rebecca Brantley, Tom Crawford, Gwynne Dyer, Elaine Ely, Jennifer Gibson, Jeff Gore, Brian Hitselberger, John Huie, Gordon Lamb, John G. Nettles, Sam Prestridge, Jordan Stepp, Drew Wheeler, Kevan Williams CIRCULATION Charles Greenleaf, Harper Bridgers, Jimmy Courson, Swen Froemke, Anthony Gentile WEB DESIGNER Ian Rickert ADVERTISING ASSISTANT Maggie Summers EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Erin Cork MUSIC INTERN Charlie Stafford ADVERTISING INTERNS Melanie Foster, Teresa Tamburello

VOLUME 24 ISSUE NUMBER 2

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Savannah’s

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 13, 2010

[SEUS] and its CEO, M. Clark Fain III. The company sold cheap workers’ compensation policies to clients that included over 70 Georgia municipalities, which it was allegedly never in a position to cover. Oxendine’s ears perked up when Fain, the college roommate of U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss when the two were at UGA, borrowed $10 million in company “assets” to finance a land deal. The Ox tells Georgia Public Radio the $1500 in campaign contributions he received from SEUS and Fain have not influenced his office’s handling of the case.

And She Doesn’t Want Them Replaced, Either: Athens attorney Regina Quick has filed a petition with the county Superior Court on behalf of local landowner Charles Parrott to remove the three members of the ACC Board of Tax Assessors from office for, among other things, seeking “to rob from the citizens to fill government coffers and/or line the pockets of government employees.” That’s only some of the more colorful language in the

Meet the Candidates: Local progressive community organization Common Ground, in conjunction with the Southern Energy Network and 1000 Faces Coffee, will host a “town hall” discussion with Athens mayoral candidates and community members at No, this wasn’t the scene last Friday at the town spring; predictions of an overnight Ciné Saturday, Jan. 16 at 11 a.m., appar- snow Thursday came to naught, as did widespread hopes for a three-day weekend. ently without the participation of Doug Lowry. Charlie Maddox, suit, which contends that the assessors are in Nancy Denson and Brandon Shinholser will be violation of a state law that went into effect there, though, and maybe some other canlast May, which placed a moratorium on the didates will confirm (or declare!) before the revaluation of property for tax purposes. One event. Benjamin Myers of Common Ground of several exceptions written into the law proand 1000 Faces says, “Our hope is to start vides that it won’t go into effect until January the dialogue early and provide community 2010 “for any county which performed or members the opportunity to define the issues had performed on its behalf a comprehensive important to us as Athenians.” county-wide revaluation of all properties in the county in 2008.” The Dope is no lawyer, Sounds Great, If There’s Free Food: Tuesday, but the guess here is that ACC has a pretty Jan. 19 at 7 p.m., the Clarke County strong defense—too bad about all the taxRepublican Party will sponsor a debate among payer money it will cost.

GOP gubernatorial candidates in the auditorium of UGA’s Grady College of Journalism.

Bad News: Forbes magazine has included No final word on who will participate—John Athens on its list of the United States’ 10 Oxendine’s campaign manager Tim Echols says most unequal cities based on the U.S. Census the Ox has another commitment—but six Bureau’s Gini Index, which rates the disparother candidates have been invited, includity between the incomes of cities’ richest and ing Karen Handel and U. S. Rep. Nathan Deal, poorest residents. According to Forbes, the who in December sent a letter to President richest 5 percent of Athens residents make Obama formally questioning the details of 46 times more money than the poorest 5 his birth. Should be fun! If you can’t make it percent; the national average is 26 times. And in person, the debate will be carried live by our poverty numbers aren’t deceptively skewed various media outlets, including WNEG TV and by college kids with “no income,” either, WGAU radio. as the Dope actually heard a University of Georgia instructor suggest to his students—in And Speaking of the Ox: The office of the curclass—a couple of years ago: the only other rent Georgia Insurance Commissioner has college town on the list is College Station, TX. opened a criminal investigation into the dealings of Southeastern U.S. Insurance Company Dave Marr news@flagpole.com

Ben Emanuel!

An Active Commissioner: ACC District One Commissioner Doug Lowry had a big week last week. The commission voted at its Tuesday, Jan. 5 session to move forward with a feasibility study for the redevelopment of Willowood Plaza shopping center to be used for a regional artists’ and farmers’ market, a pet project of Lowry’s. At the same meeting, Lowry announced that he will abandon his plans to run for mayor this year in order to move to Calgary with his fiancée, who has accepted a job there, at the end of his term.

Then on Thursday, Jonathan McGinty posted an interview with Lowry on his Beyond the Trestle blog in which Lowry really let his feelings about Mayor Heidi Davison’s approach to economic development be known. “Watch what she does,” Lowry said. “Watch how she operates. Her biggest achievement is alienating business.” Snap! While we can wonder about his lowering that boom on the way out the door, these two still have to work together for another year. Is this a case of letting valor prove the better part of discretion, or is Lowry “working the refs” to help with his economic development agenda, about which he remains passionate? Maybe both.

city pages the books… GDOT was spending $100,000 here, $100,000 there and never making any true progress on projects that would have economic benefit to the state or to the local region… Some were strictly political projects.” But those days are over now, she believes. Since the passage of House Bill 200 Former Georgia Department of last February, the GDOT board no longer has Transportation Commissioner Gena Evans—a the exclusive power to approve road projects. reform-minded commissioner who was fired Instead, Long (who answers to the governor) by the DOT board after only 14 months on the and the board must come to an agreement on job—has no regrets, she tells Flagpole. Evans a list of projects, and the General Assembly (now director of the State Road and Tollway must approve that list.

Authority) speaks frankly but not bitterly GDOT’s board members didn’t like losing about her tenure at GDOT. She made enemies power, and blamed Evans for the changes. Two on the board, she believes, because she was days after HB 200 passed, they fired her. But willing to say “no” to road projects, but was despite that, she thinks, “now GDOT is moving ultimately instrumental in changing GDOT’s in the direction of actually putting projects “political” decision-making out to bid that have ecoprocess. nomic value, benefit/cost Saying “no” to road “I was digging down ratios, traffic counts and pretty deep into the finanengineering data to support projects doesn’t cial situation at GDOT. We those projects. That was the make anybody happy. other big fish that we were found that we were several hundred million dollars over trying to get to, is projects budget, and I slowed down letting of the connot being put to construction any longer for struction contracts… That made several of the political reasons only… When I got there, industry people very unhappy. That made the GDOT didn’t even know how many projects board members very unhappy,” she says. Road they had on the books,” she says. “It ended projects are popular with local legislators and up being somewhere around 11,000 projects, officials, and also with the private road-buildand there’s no way you can fund and work on ing contractors whom the state hires to build 11,000 projects. The staff was literally changthem. Saying “no” to road projects doesn’t ing priorities every day. They’d get a phone make anybody happy—which is why GDOT got call from one of the legislators, and they’d over-stretched in the first place, GDOT planhave to change priorities.” ning director Todd Long tells Flagpole: “We’d Funding is still a problem for transportatell people we’d try to get to [a project] and tion in Georgia, Evans believes. “We are woenever could… That’s been going on as long as fully behind on investing in transportation” in we’ve been doing transportation projects.”

Georgia, compared to “peer” states, she says.

According to Evans, “there were billions Georgia ranks second-to-last among states in and billions of dollars worth of projects on how much gas tax it collects, and state law

Former State Transport Commissioner Evans Goes on Record

bars even that amount from being used for anything except roads and bridges. “There really is no funding source for transit in the state right now,” although there are transit projects included in GDOT’s priority list, she says.

GDOT’s board has long included road contractors (current GDOT commissioner Vance Smith is a former road contractor), and Evans is critical of the influence of contractors on the agency. “There’s an inordinate amount of input from the contracting community,” she tells Flagpole, “unlike any other place I’ve ever served in state government. They are actively engaged with the board members about what happens on day-to-day activities of the department. Never have I seen a lobbying group that is involved as heavily in day-to-day activities in an organization.”

Local transportation boards (like the Madison/Clarke/Oconee MACORTS board, staffed by local officials, citizens and GDOT reps) can submit local transportation projects, but GDOT has often had its own priorities.

“When I was at GDOT, that’s basically what we based our list on—what the local community and the legislators wanted,” Evans says.

Under the new regime, “it’s taking a different approach, and taking a look at things that will benefit the state, the county and the region economically,” she says.

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Commission OKs Study for Eastside Artists’ and Farmers’ Market A regional farmers’ and artists’ market might eventually locate in the former WinnDixie supermarket on Lexington Road, if a proposed feasibility study confirms the need for such a market. Athens-Clarke County commissioners agreed last week to help match a OneGeorgia Authority grant for the $35,000 feasibility study.

“This is the first of a long line of steps to get this thing going,” Commissioner Doug Lowry said. John Stamm, an owner of the shopping center, told Flagpole the market could be comparable to the popular Dekalb Farmers’ Market, and said the owners are look-

“This is the first of a long line of steps to get this thing going.” ing for other compatible businesses to also locate at Willowood. If the grant is approved in the spring, Madison and Oglethorpe counties will also contribute to the cost. The market might also contain a “shared-use” commercial kitchen.

Lowry also announced he will retire from the commission after this year (the last year of his four-year term). He will get married “soon,” he explained, and later move with his wife to Calgary. Lowry’s Eastside district comes up for election in November—along with those of Commissioners Maxwell, Hoard, Girtz and Lynn (who has said he won’t seek a third term).

And commissioners also approved a new county ordinance that will allow children under 12 to ride bicycles on public sidewalks.

Until last year, riding on the county’s sidewalks (except downtown) was legal at any age. But in April, the state legislature made it illegal throughout Georgia for adults—and even for children, except where local governments specifically allow children to ride on sidewalks.

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JANUARY 13, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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world view

capitol impact

Three Bad Things That Didn’t Happen

Barnes, Ox Lead

Three: The year 2009 was most notable Ahmedinejad’s implausibly high level of voter for the three bad things that didn’t hapsupport in the June election ignited protests pen. Firstly, the financial melt-down of late that have shaken the regime’s hold on power.

2008 did not plunge us all into a 1930s-style In Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki depression, although there were plenty of emerged as a genuine strongman, centralispundits predicting that less than a year ago. ing power in his own office, staffed by his There has certainly been a deep recession own party and clan. In Afghanistan another in the developed countries, and the current American nominee, President Hamid Karzai, slow recovery may be a false dawn, but the embarrassed his patrons by rigging his re-elecworst has been avoided, and in the developing tion last August too blatantly, but they had countries there was scarcely even a recession. to accept him in the end. And in FantasylandThe second predicted disaster that did not on-the-Gulf, AKA Dubai, they could not make come to pass was a killer global pandemic like interest payments on some $50 billion in the 1918 strain of influenza. Something of loans until Abu Dhabi bailed them out. that order is probably still lying in wait for us Europe: As it generally does, Europe down the road, but the swine flu turned out to had a quieter year. Chancellor Angela Merkel be much less lethal than was initially feared. of Germany swept back into a second term in And the third bad thing that didn’t hapSeptember with a “dream coalition” that freed pen? The same bad thing that hasn’t happened her from having to compromise with the left. every year since 2001. There was no mass loss France became the largest economy to impose of life (by which I mean more than a thousand a carbon tax on individuals and businesses people murdered in a single incident) due to using coal, gas or oil, with the explicit intenterrorist action in any Western country. Even a tion of changing people’s patterns of energy relatively large death toll like that should not use. The tax is 17 euros (U.S.$24) per ton of be a reason for any government to go berserk emissions now, but it will rise over the years. and start invading foreign countries. Although China: The emergence of China as a world an over-reaction is precisely what the terrorplayer continued, with attention focussed in ists are seeking to provoke, domestic political particular on its expanding investments in realities in the target country still make it Africa. The ex-imperial powers saw this as likely that the response would be hugely stuneo-imperialism, but the ex-colonies thempid and violent. So, we go from year to year selves mostly took a different view. They waiting for the terrorists to understood that China was succeed again on the scale But it feels less hopeless trying to secure long-term of 9/11, knowing that supplies of food, fuel and if you recall that most Western countries will go minerals for a future in crazy again if they do. it believed that all of Africa’s 52 countries which Bush: What did finally those commodities would are at peace… happen at the beginning be scarcer, but at least of 2009 was the longthe Chinese paid well and overdue departure of the Bush administration. didn’t subject their suppliers to hypocritical Almost everybody outside the United States, lectures on human rights. and many people within it, were profoundly Africa: A blow-by-blow list of all the relieved by that, but it imposed a huge burden things that went wrong in Africa in 2009 is of expectation on the shoulders of his succesdepressing: a military massacre in Guinea, a sor as president, Barack Obama. coup in Madagascar, blood-drenched anarchy Obama: It has been a difficult first year in Somalia, mini-wars between the police and for Obama, who presumably expected to have extreme religious sects in northern Nigeria, both his health care reforms and a climate and much more in the same vein. But it feels change bill through Congress by now. His less hopeless if you recall that most of Africa’s problems with Afghanistan, however, are 52 countries are at peace—and that African largely of his own making. Calling Afghanistan economies have been growing at an average the “good war” (in contrast to Iraq) during of five percent a year since 2000, compared to the election campaign was a useful tactic to only one percent in the previous decades since deflect accusations that he was too peace-lov- independence. ing, but now he’s stuck with it. He has already Latin America: Much the same observaordered a doubling of U.S. troop numbers in tion applies to Latin America. What little news Afghanistan, and he is now on a very slippery makes it out of the continent tends to be bad: slope. the brutal war between the state and the drug The Middle East: With only a tenth cartels in Mexico, the alleged threat of war of the world’s people, the Middle East conbetween Venezuela and Colombia, the messy tinued to generate more than its fair share sort-of-coup in Honduras, and so on. But most of the news. The Israeli election in February of the region is at peace, more or less demodelivered Binyamin Netanyahu, the leader who cratic, and even making progress economically. had buried the Oslo accords in the late 1990s, Copenhagen: The vast, 192-country back into the prime minister’s office, and conference on climate change in December was any remaining hope for an Israeli-Palestinian a total failure in terms of its objectives. There peace deal evaporated. Netanyahu is politiis no new treaty to replace the Kyoto accord, cally dependent on right-wing Jewish settlers and the United States was quite happy to let in the occupied territories, and would be most China get the blame for killing a deal that unlikely to compromise on their demands even Washington couldn’t have delivered on either. if he were personally so inclined (which he is If there is one thing that 2009 is remembered not). for, it may be for the failure at Copenhagen.

At the other end of the Middle East, Iran was hardly ever out of the news in 2009. The Gwynne Dyer old question of whether or not it is seeking nuclear weapons stayed high on the internaGwynne Dyer is a London-based independent jourtional agenda, but it was overtaken by the nalist whose articles are published in 45 countries. new question of whether the present leader[Read a fuller version of this article online at www. ship could stay in power. President Mahmoud flagpole.com.]

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 13, 2010

The latest campaign disclosure reports filed by the candidates for governor don’t leave any doubts about it: former governor Roy Barnes and Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine have pulled out to big leads over their primary opponents. Barnes, the Democratic frontrunner, piled up more money than any other candidate in either primary, reporting more than $2.7 million in contributions during the last six months of 2009. Oxendine, who’s been running ahead in the early polls among Republican voters, raised $1.5 million for the period ending Dec. 31, although that total includes a $250,000 bank loan.

The most important statistic is how much money a candidate still has in the bank and available to spend. At the first of the year, Barnes and Oxendine both had a little more than $2.2 million cash on hand.

Oxendine contends that the latest reports show the governor’s race is narrowing down to him and Barnes, who was the governor from 1999 to 2003.

“Definitely, when you look at the money, the individual polls, the name recognition, I think it will be between the two of us,” Oxendine said.

It’s too early to tell if Oxendine’s prediction is accurate, of course. Even with the advantages of money, it’s still possible for a campaign to go into the ditch. Even so, there was a severe dropoff in dollars from Barnes and Oxendine to the other candidates in the respective primaries, with indications that some of the contenders are already starting to feel a financial pinch.

On the Republican side, former state senator Eric Johnson of Savannah reported $680,848 in contributions over the past six months, which is less than half Oxendine’s total. He still had a respectable $1.3 million in his campaign bank account, however.

U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal of Gainesville and former secretary of state Karen Handel are not in such good shape. Deal raised $608,438

during the last six months of 2009, but that was less than half what he was able to bring in during the first six months. He is also burning through his campaign funds at a fast rate, spending more than he raised during the latest six-month period: $816,830. “I’m ready for the primary campaign and after that, we will turn our sights on Mr. Barnes or anyone else President Obama and the Democrat party should nominate,” Deal said.

Handel continues to be the weakest fundraiser of the four leading candidates in the GOP primary, receiving only $515,794 in contributions during the last six months.

She spent $400,810 during that same period, which left her campaign with only $439,998 in the bank. Handel does have one advantage over Oxendine: because she recently quit as secretary of state, she can legally solicit campaign funds while the General Assembly is in session.

Oxendine cannot take contributions for the next three months because he’s an elected statewide official, but he does have the money he borrowed from the bank to keep paying campaign bills.

On the Democratic side, Barnes raised more than twice as much money during the last six months as his three challengers combined.

Attorney General Thurbert Baker brought in $665,642 and reported $874,564 cash on hand. House Minority Leader DuBose Porter (D-Dublin) raised $141,687 and had $303,807 in his campaign account. “When I look at past campaigns where grassroots candidates defeated big money candidates, we are actually a little ahead in the ratio of money to our largest competitor,” Porter said. Retired adjutant general David Poythress reported $202,758 in contributions during the past six months and had cash on hand of $264,353.

That’s the money situation for now. We’ll see how those dollars translate into votes.

Tom Crawford tcrawford@capitolimpact.net

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One of the most common sentiments I hear around town when some new project is completed is that “it could have been worse.”

This week, I’d like to look at what it might take to really up the quality of design locally, so that Athenians no longer have to settle for a built environment that is barely tolerable.

We have plenty of local design firms doing good work, although many are small and don’t necessarily land the larger-scale, visible public projects. If we are spending public money, after all, it should help create jobs locally.

I met with the fine folks at Koons Environmental Design, a local planning, design and engineering firm, to see what their thoughts were on the issue. One of their t visible local projects is the new “G rgia Quad,” which replaced Baxter et Exte n between the ZLC (I’ve always d this b ing the SLC, for Student Learni Center, lately I’ve heard it called the MLC, for Miller Learning Center. I’d like to suggest we call it Bu and I the S the ZLC, for Zell Learning Center.)

Tate II addition. For firms of only three or four people, such as Koons, the submittal requireReal est t ments for public projects such as SPLOST are Artment time-consuming and, thus, a bigA barrier to re t entry, whereas larger firms may have an easier 47 B l o c k materito town time producing and preparing2 those pu B grea that ew o might city ceiling als. One suggestion from Koons

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The new Georgia Quad is one of Koons Environmental Design’s $5 ermost weekvisible recent projects.

Online n y*** un Ti o rat bring local designers in on these is *** projects v ilable for nd to require a local consultant on all public P projects. Elizabeth Hargrove, a designer with At fla Koons, had worked previously in Portland, ayPal accoun OR,

which has this requirement.

To the folks at Koons, good design can be subtle and is often in the functioning and detailing. For example, the project they’re

most proud of is a parking lot. Koons Monday preor th • All ads must b

pared a master plan for the new intramural

c u t fields located adjacent to the beleaguered history or repl Red ce ol Barn off South Milledge. To them, the detailing that went into that parking to make it 2 lot F AGPO C M an environmentally sustainable place can be just as important to a highly visible project.

What else can we do to tap into the local body of knowledge that firms such as Koons possess, to help improve what’s happening around town? One local effort that has seen a great deal of success in the past few years is the Growing Sustainably Report. Now on its fifth edition, this report makes policy recommendations to the county government about a broad palette of issues under the umbrella of

5

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ing these sorts of issues to be reportedrm and w FP, High s eed resolved, eliminating ineffective requirements, Ava l now (7 D and adding new guidelines once solutions have been proven to work. A report follow ( 0 ) 549-0 01 ’ BE LESustainably” THE FRE ON ing in the footsteps of “Growing o ME ES ! ffi could be the way toDdo that. If those recomft Avai able mendations were backed by both private F pracHurry, titioners and public-minded advocacy groups, 220 C y t 1 y AV it would ssurely make sense to adopt them.

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Responsibly minded realtors and www fred at flagpo e com developers, planning staff at both the city and the university, local advocacy groups such as R 2 20 BikeAthens and Athens Grow Green, transit agencies, and daily users all have something to contribute to such an effort. Whether in the form of specific built work or in some sort of collective action, we have untapped resources in this town, and putting them to use could be of great value to the community at large, making this place more liveable, sustainable and beautiful.

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JANUARY 13, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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comment Conservatism as a Painful Rectal Itch I’ve awoken several times recently with a Sarah Palin quote on my mind: “Our opponent… is someone who sees America, it seems, as being so imperfect, imperfect enough, that he’s palling around with terrorists who would target their own country. This is not a man who sees America as you see America and as I see America.”

I don’t know why she’s come to mind. I’m usually pretty good at understanding why in the name of all that’s good, holy, proper and whole grain I’d be afflicted with anything she says.

Then, I saw Glenn Beck railing that if the generic “you” don’t like this country, there are planes leaving every day.

“Go to Europe,” he said, pleadingly. “Your socialist utopia awaits.”

I dislike giving the lunatic fringe any level of serious consideration, but the prominence these nasty little sock puppets have achieved raises serious questions about the overall health of the body politic.

Paul Krugman, in a Nov. 9 editorial in The New York Times, suggested that the Beck/Palin type of rabid populism threatens the very governability of America. The Tea Party whackos threaten to transform the Republicans into a rump party, similar, Krugman said, to the GOP in California: an obstructionist organization “with no interest in actually governing.”

But this has already happened, it seems, as suggested by recent high-profile Republican antics. The motion to open debate on the Senate Health Care Bill was voted against by every Republican senator. The vote was less a matter of whether our health care system needs reform than partisan obstructionism raised to a political ideal.

In a Dec. 4 newsletter, Senator Saxby Chambliss explained his “no” vote: “I opposed the procedural motion because I think we can reform health care in a way that does not burden our children and grandchildren with insurmountable debt, does not raise taxes and does not make cuts to Medicare.”

Oddly, he continued to discuss the need for reform: “I believe there are a number of issues on which the Senate can agree and enact legislation immediately to help drive down the cost of health care. We can insert competition in the insurance industry by allowing health insurance to be sold across state lines, and we can focus on preventative health care.

Additionally, it’s necessary that we implement some measure of medical malpractice reform.”

The senator votes against discussing the bill because he has alternatives that need to be discussed… so he denies himself the opportunity to discuss them?

Certainly, such a statement betrays a need for control, rather than any established ideology. Further, if the Senator’s guiding principle is concern for the debt burden our children and grandchildren will bear, we can expect

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 13, 2010

this principle to be applied to other areas affecting the fiscal future of the body politic.

This expectation, however, was frustrated within the same newsletter. After his impassioned harangue about future debts, the senator discussed his support for the war in Afghanistan: “I agree with the president that we need to work toward transferring security responsibility to Afghans,” he wrote. “Training the Afghan military and security forces to protect Afghan citizens will enable us to ultimately pull out in a way similar to what we are doing in Iraq. However, we should not transfer that responsibility until it is clear that Afghans can successfully carry it out.”

The combined costs of the Iraq and Afghan wars float towards $950 billion, most of which has been borrowed.

We fight for the Afghan people and burden the coming generations with debts for which we’ll have nothing to show, but the Senator couldn’t vote even to discuss a health care bill that will ultimately insure over three million children.

I’m incapable of finding a coherent principle at work here. This is governance by whim, and the only guiding principle that I can discover is the relative pleasure the senator gets from saying yes or saying no.

As 2010 is the 100th anniversary of the translation of Freud’s On the Interpretation of Dreams, it is appropriate to examine the senator’s behaviors in Freudian terms.

According to Freud, infants first explore their own autonomy by controlling feces.

Withholding it is pleasurable, for it gives the child a sense of control. Expelling it is pleasurable for the obvious reasons, but also, Freud says, for the managerial selfhood implicit in assent or dissent.

In “Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality,” Freud says, “[The contents of the bowels] are clearly treated as a part of the infant’s own body and represent his first ‘gift’: by producing them he can express his active compliance with his environment and, by withholding them, his disobedience.”

Fecal retention, Freud concludes, is for the child both a “masturbatory stimulus upon the anal zone” and a method of shaping his or her “relationship to the people looking after him.”

Either explains the Senator’s motivations. One imagines him in his Senate seat waiting to express or to withhold, waiting for the signal from the people looking after him.

Chambliss is perhaps an extreme example.

However, my central point remains. Fringe elements have reduced conservative principles to the lowest common denominator—to the politics of irritation, to a painful rectal itch.

Viewing the field as impartially as I can, I see little hope for any kind of change in tactics, attitudes or interactions.

Sam Prestridge

miscellany Out and About Around Athens Looking Back: Two weeks before we honored the birthday of one of our nation’s greatest historical figures, Martin Luther King, Jr., Athens legend Michael Stipe hit 50. It has been 30 years since R.E.M. began performing around town, and while Athens has undergone immeasurable change in those three decades, it is, in many ways, a very similar place. As we settle into January, we may well contemplate what will define Athens in the next decade.

What projects will take hold, and what media forms will cover them?

Looking Forward: At UGA, Grady College’s New Media Institute examines “how technology can play a part in the community,” according to Director Scott Shamp. The Institute, which brings interdisciplinary thought to multimedia technology, will celebrate its 10th anniversary this spring; since its inception, it has put in place one of the nation’s first municipal wireless networks and engaged with the larger Athens area through various social networking projects. Each of this year’s 15

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on a local service project and convene in the afternoon for entertainment and art activities (1/18). Volunteers are needed for sorting donations at the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia, sprucing up the Garnett Ridge Boys & Girls Club, restoring the Trail Creek buffer of the North Oconee River Greenway, and a host of other projects. To see them all, please go to www.AthensMLKDay.org and sign up.

And Wall Street Journal Atlanta Bureau Chief Doug Blackmon presents two programs on campus (1/28) on the forced labor of African Americans in the South between the Civil War and WWII: the first at 2 p.m. in Russell Library and the second at 4:30 p.m. in the third floor reading room in the Miller Learning Center.

Traditional Forms: The Georgia Museum of Art hosts “Neighboring Voices: The Decorative Culture of Our Southern Cousins,” the fifth Henry D. Green Symposium of the Decorative Arts, uniting delegates from neighboring states to discuss the legacy of decorative art

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Kids help clean up the Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery during last year’s MLK “Day of Service.” projects, Shamp says, will “be hitting Athens,” and many will consider how personal media can work for the public good. The Institute gets students off campus and shows them local areas and problems they might otherwise miss.

Bring the Noise: While the New Media Institute employs technology in serious endeavors, some Athenians are taking entertainment technology just as seriously.

“Midnight,” the grand-scale, Chase Street warehouse New Year’s Eve event, felt like a party from John Hughes’ dream world in a space-age venue. While some DJs were old enough to remember R.E.M.’s first shows, spectacular digital sound and visual effects upped the ante for the local party scene.

Give Back: Athenians have not forgotten the causes that challenged us in the last century. To remember the days when journalism and civil rights leaders took on the South for various cases of small-mindedness, bigotry and sometimes, outright brutality, ask natives what they remember from the Athens of their younger days. Honor Dr. King with the Lyndon House’s “Day of Service”: volunteer to help

m

forms in Southern communities (1/29 & 1/30).

Athens native M. Seth Reines will bring his nationally touring Broadway production of The Wedding Singer to the Classic Center (1/27), and Willie Nelson will be playing the venue a few days later (1/21). Amy Jenkins thinks on contemporary parenting in her art installation “Nurture,” at ATHICA (through 2/28). Stop by for the exhibit and for affiliated events on breast-feeding (2/24) and societal conceptions of parent-child relationships (2/28).

Green Revolutions: Environmental technologies will have a prime spot in Athens’ next discursive lineup. And this month, green comes to Athens. The Sacred Earth Growers Co-Op has begun a year-round farmers’ market at Flora Hydroponics, featuring ecologically friendly products from local food vendors and artisans (1/15 & 1/16). The second annual Green Life Expo (The Classic Center) will showcase environmentally safe products and services from various industries (1/29 & 1/30). For more flora fun, the Botanical Garden will host a Native Plant Symposium (1/20).

Elaine Ely misc@flagpole.com

JANUARY 13, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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Retrospective Highlights from ‘09 Looking back on the variety of exhibitions and art events I was fortunate enough to witness in Athens, I’m struck by the material to draw from when considering “Highlights of 2009.” In an area of Athens’ size (with a considerable dearth of traditional gallery and exhibition spaces) the continual ingenuity of local artists to place their works in our paths is impressive. What follows are some of my favorite exhibitions, as well as some names and locations to watch for 2010.

color (but retaining his confident brushwork), each of his medium-to-large-scale paintings was a three-course meal for the eyes. His intensive devotion to his craft has rewarded his viewers time and again, and achieved a slightly legendary status among his audiences.

If you’ve met him, you know what I’m talking about—the guy practically oozes paint from under his fingernails. If he’s not talking about painting, he’s thinking about painting. Failing that, he’s probably in the studio (painting).

Normally, he prefers to let his work speak for itself, but in an unexpected act of largesse, he accompanied his week-long exhibi-

Big Things in Small Packages: Fresh out of Lamar Dodd’s MFA program, local artist Erin Macintosh teamed up with recent Athens transplant Sarah Seabolt (returning to the Classic City after an eight-year absence) to open Blue Tin Art Studio, tucked just behind Big City Bread Cafe off North Finley Street.

Macintosh, a leading contender for “world’s friendliest person,” has become a regular name to art-seeking Athenians—her consistently lush and elegant abstract paintings have appeared in venues all over town.

Seabolt’s paintings and works on paper deftly utilize encaustics—an ancient technique of suspending pigment in wax. Despite the inherent slowness and precision of the process, Seabolt’s images remain Andy Cherewick’s September exhibition at ATHICA was a stand-out. fresh and light. The studio itself offers ongoing art classes and instruction for children and adults, tion with a gallery talk open to the public. If but surprised everyone early December by you were among the small crowd gathered to opening its doors to one of the best exhibihear Cherewick speak—count yourself lucky. tions of the year.

His eloquence when considering his own work The “Small Works Show” featured (surwas enlightening and generous. Hopefully, prise!) small works by six local artists: Erin he’ll give a repeat performance in the future.

Macintosh, Sarah Seabolt, Craig Hawkins, Davie Savino, Denton Crawford and Marie Terre Verte and Indigo Blue: The October Porterfield. The coziness of the space and reception of the “Terre Verte” exhibition at the intimate scale of the art itself worked well Hotel Indigo was a madhouse. Within 20 in tandem—there was hardly a piece extendminutes of squeezing through the door, I saw ing 12 inches in any direction, and barely everyone I’ve ever known or met in Athens.

12 inches of floor space to drink your plastic The exhibition, which was curated and orgacup of wine among an enthusiastic crowd. A nized by Sandi Turner and Chris Wyrick of standout among the miniature ensemble was Mercury Art Works, and composed entirely of Hawkins’ charcoal drawings mounted to small Athens-based artists, marked the eighth annicanvases—a series of faintly glowing fireflies versary of Mercury and its new location of the carefully rendered through erasure of their gallery within the hotel. smoothly black grounds. I’ve been a fan of The space is gorgeous, and the work itself Hawkins’ Jim Dine-esque drawings since I first looks fantastic inside it. As I made my way saw them, but rarely has the intimacy of his through the well-dressed crowd, I caught a content matched its formal delivery so tightly. glimpse of some familiar pieces looking all the Though quickly executed, Denton Crawford’s more fresh in their new home—Carl Martin’s untitled wall installation was oddly comlarge-scale c-print, Scott Belville’s delicate pelling—thickly painted oils and low-relief drawings, Mary Engel’s ceramic canines—and sculptures nestled inside a series of concentric too many more to mention. If you missed black rings drawn directly onto the wall, like the opening, you’re in luck—the work is still a hypnotist’s coin offering gooey candy to a up for the winter season. I made a second spellbound viewer. The piece marked a shift trip to the space this morning, before writfrom his more labor-intensive painted cuting this article, and was struck freshly dumb outs; I can’t wait to see what he does next. by the beauty of the gallery, this time empty of onlookers. Calmly leaning against a back m Madman Armed with Brush: When it comes wall was Kristy Knight’s untitled installation, to paint application, Andy Cherewick does whose presence was so potently silent, to put not screw around. The longtime Athens fixit into words would do it a great injustice— ture’s September outing at ATHICA was among just go see it yourself. the best painting I’ve seen all year. Trading in his muted palette for full-on saturation of Brian Hitselberger

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 13, 2010

art notes Out of This World Body Language: If you walked through the Lamar Dodd School of Art days before classes began this month, you might have noticed an unusually large piece of machinery hoisting a gallery director equipped with hammer and nails far, far into the air. He was preparing to hang an even bigger, and I really mean big, painting. If you’ve had any dealings with the art school for the last four decades you might be able to guess the artist behind these considerably sized paintings (answer: UGA professor emeritus Jim Herbert). You may have noticed his 12-feet tall or so, paint-encrusted canvas on permanent display outside the art school’s lecture halls. He studied under Clifford Still, and it shows. Infused with an Abstract Expressionist sensibility, they’re the kind of paintings that make other painters drool. If not, maybe you’ve encountered one of his provocative, controversy-inspiring, arty, blackand-white films or one of his many renowned videos for R.E.M. This group of work, although still painted on an awe-inspiring scale, is a far more intimate series than the abstract, jewel-toned paintings I’ve seen in the past. Still richly layered, the acrylic paintings are more representational and seem darker in tone overall. Some of the pieces, like “Two Figures Embracing,” look like a marriage between the brash tempests of color of his older paintings and stills from his quieter, more introspective films.

characters are four angry, red-haired Vikings and a cluster of bulbous forms sporting creepily alert, wide-open eyes. If pressed to do so, I’d compare them to strange sea creatures or a cancerous blob of cells. The plot goes something like this: the amorphous mass of eyeballs is assaulted by the red-haired quartet with boulders.

Sound like your bad dreams? A movie you might want to see? These strange fates are what befall Andrew Cayce’s repertoire of eccentric creatures in his painting series up at Flicker Theatre & Bar through the end of this month. They are all kind of creepy, although there’s an element of bubblegum pop that takes the nightmare edge off of these unlikely mise-en-scènes. Cayce’s aesthetic is surreal and decidedly quirky but does not fall back on the easy clichés of most painting of this type.

They’re as coolly alien as Herbert’s paintings are painfully human. As a series, the paintings have an easy sense of cohesion, although each is surprisingly different from the last. Cayce has absorbed the glowing colors and simplified forms of painters like Paul Klee or the penchant for enigma of Giorgio di Chircio or Salvador Dali, but he’s transformed the familiar idiosyncrasies of these modern masters to arrive at his own sci-fi-tinted aesthetic. If you aren’t a frequenter of the bars, you can see a virtual exhibition of his work at www. cecilrose.com.

Paintings by Andrew Cayce are on display at Flicker Theatre & Bar through Feb. 1.

There are echoes of the lonely, painfully eroticized figures of Egon Schiele or, more recently, the contorted protagonists of Francesco Clemente. The comparisons could go on and on, and Herbert’s relationship to the history of art sometimes becomes blatantly thematic in his work. “Hudson River Landscape with Fist” depicts a stormy and sublime landscape—in truth, more related to Albert Pinkham Rider (the misfit American master beloved by Jackson Pollock) than those of the mid-19thcentury Hudson River School—inexplicably interrupted by a large fist. This show is a nice opportunity to see an impressive installation of an art school and Athens icon. Herbert’s work will be on exhibition through Feb. 3.

Perverse Universe: Now, close your eyes and imagine you’re on another planet. Then open them. The setting is an orange seascape with a red sky. The time of day is sunset. The

m

Baby Talk: Undoubtedly more down-to-earth than Cayce’s ethereal cast of characters, ATHICA’s ode to parenting, “Nurture: Video and Photography by Amy Jenkins,” opened on Jan. 9. Notably, one of Jenkins’ featured videos, “Audrey Samsara,” was removed from a show in 2004 due to its depiction of a mother nursing an infant. Be sure to read Mary Jessica Hammes’ easily digestible essay for an introduction not only to Jenkins’ work but to some of the social and political debates surrounding the show’s theme of the relationship between mother and child. Read Hammes’ essay and catch a preview at www.athica.org. The show is up until the end of February.

Finally, for other proud mommies, catch the Lyndon House’s “Through Our Eyes: Portraits and Self-Portraits by the Students of Clarke County” before it wraps up on Jan. 20.

Rebecca Brantley

the reader

Hogaku:

New Sounds of Japan 2010

Dry-Humping in the USA Let me start by saying I don’t particularly care for “American Idol.” Maybe it’s just that I’d rather see some of those music-industry dollars going to promote original artists rather than generic, would-be divas. I am, however, a fan of Adam Lambert ever since reading about his performance at the American Music Awards last year, where the openly gay “Idol” runnerup apparently kissed his male keyboardist on the mouth and dry-humped a couple of dancers on national TV. Suddenly Lambert found himself persona non grata on the ABC network and fielding scads of hate-mail and tabloid questions, to which he responded with a very cool “So what?” Was Lambert’s performance in questionable taste? Sure, but it also served to point out one of the great hypocrisies of our present culture, that while we may have come far enough to accept uncloseted gay men as pop stars, reality-show mainstays and funny sidekicks on sitcoms, we start to have a problem when they stop being harmlessly flamboyant and do something, well, gay.

It’s been a long time since we’ve had a good First Amendment flap over TV. Groups like the Parents’ Television Council and the American Family Association still watchdog the airwaves for any content that may smack of the 21st century, and a politician can still make some hay pretending to care about our children’s moral hygiene, but the fact is that we haven’t seen anything really subversive on television for a long time. Not in the sense of dirty words or sex or violence or Dennis Franz’s bare ass, but subversive in the sense of presenting a shocking but true fact about ourselves that we’d really rather not discuss, in such a way that it’s hard to ignore.

The best vehicle for this was always comedy. “Saturday Night Live” in its heyday.

The sitcoms of Norman Lear. Richard Pryor.

“M*A*S*H.” “The Simpsons.” Dave Chappelle, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert do their fair share of cutting social commentary, but it’s from within the privately held realm of cable TV, out of the reach of FCC censure. Over the coaxial cable one is relatively free to say what one likes, but back in the days when TV whizzed exclusively through the air, there was a real risk in espousing an antiestablishment view of any kind, and the worst offenders were the clean-cut, folksinging comedy duo of Tom and Dick Smothers.

From 1967 to 1969, the Smothers Brothers starred on one of the most widely viewed programs on TV, a CBS comedy-variety program popular enough to compete with NBC’s juggernaut “Bonanza.” Out of what the network hoped would be a goodtime hour of inoffensive music and tepid comedy bits, the Smotherses crafted a program devoted to opposing Vietnam, challenging the status quo on race and drugs and politics, and pissing off the network censors at every opportunity.

Tom Smothers, onstage the goofball opposite brother Dick’s straight man, was a crusader behind the scenes, fighting to bring ever more

Re-envisioning Traditional Japanese Music

controversial, envelope-pushing material onto the show and daring his network masters to cross him. Tom’s war escalated until it reached the White House, and that war is the subject of NPR correspondent David Bianculli’s terrific book Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” (Simon & Schuster, 2009).

The show started innocuously enough, following the venerable Ed Sullivan and comprising a nice mix of old-time stars (Jack Benny, Kate Smith, Bette Davis) to attract the parents and contemporary music (Donovan, Jefferson Airplane, The Who) to draw the kids, tied together with the requisite skits and the Brothers’ brand of vaudeville-style ribbing. In the era of escalation in Vietnam, the crashing of LBJ’s presidency and the return of Richard Nixon, and national hand-wringing about “these kids today,” however, TV networks were on pins and needles about how their shows would play in middle America, and their censors had itchy bleeping fingers. After the Smotherses and their staff discovered bits missing from their shows, Tom Smothers took it personally. His writers (including at one point Rob Reiner and Steve Martin) began cranking out thinly veiled references to sex and drugs along with more blatant criticisms of the war, racial inequality and the candidates jockeying to fill LBJ’s shoes. The brilliantly deadpan comic Pat Paulsen staged a mock run for the White House, while cast member Leigh French turned a one-off hippie-chick character into a weekly exercise in seeing how many pot references she could spread across America.

CBS executives, many of whom were politically connected, began to weigh in on the little comedy show that dared to push their buttons but was too big in the ratings to simply cancel. At one point, five minutes of Smothers airtime was simply chopped out of the show and the space filled with a campaign ad for Nixon. After comedian David Steinberg delivered a “sermonette” poking fun at the story of Moses, CBS began piling restrictions— advance screenings, impossible editing deadlines, legal loopholes—onto the show to rein it, and especially Tom Smothers, in until finally the network had had enough and killed its cash cow in its prime. “Fired,” Tom always pointed out, “not canceled.”

Bianculli’s book is an engaging chronicle of the show and its time, and is drawn from exhaustive interviews, not only with the Smotherses and their crowd but with people on the network side, who turn out to be gracious and candid, many of them revealing their admiration for the show and that painin-the-ass Tommy Smothers. The result is an even-handed account of an important moment in our cultural history, about a little TV show that presented some of the most groundbreaking material the medium has produced, and the price it paid for having something to say.

January 15, 2010 Pre-Concert Lecture

by Mr. Takafumi Tanaka, Hogaku Journal Editor at 7pm

Concert at 8pm Ramsey Concert Hall

UGA Performing Arts Center 230 River Road, Athens GA 30605

Free

No advance tickets required

Presented by The Japan Foundation, the University of Georgia Center for Asian Studies and the Consulate General of Japan in Atlanta

For details: 404-365-9240 or info@cgjapanatlanta.org

John G. Nettles

JANUARY 13, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

11

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

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.

Director Betty Thomas has seen better days (The Brady Bunch Movie and Private Parts).

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.

AVATAR (PG-13) On a remote planet, a paraplegic marine, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), is promised the use of his legs if he helps the Corporation relocate a race of blue warriors, the Na’vi, whose home is located atop the planet’s richest supply of unobtanium.

Jake takes control of a Na’vi/ human hybrid, infiltrating the aliens to learn their ways, but falls in love with them, particularly the chief’s daughter, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), instead. Now Sully must lead the Na’vi against the space marines led by General Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), a scarred hulk of a military man. With the general, director James Cameron and actor Lang have created the richest bad guy in some time. Cameron is thought of as a filmmaker more obsessed with technology than story and character.

Often overlooked is what a sentimental a filmmaker he is and has always been.

Look beyond Titanic. Aliens was ostensibly about a neglectful mother making up for lost time with a surrogate child.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day concerned the reconciliation of an estranged mother and son, who was also looking for a father figure in a muscle-bound cyborg sent from the future by his future self. The Abyss and True Lies dealt with the difficulties of marriage.

At heart, Avatar is about the spiritual bond between all the creations of Eowa, Pandora’s deity, as well as the John Smith/ Pocahontas love affair of Sully and Neytiri. Apparently, Cameron used his decade-plus absence well, putting his thumbprint on the 2000s at the last possible moment THE BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL—NEW ORLEANS (R) Nicolas Cage has been garnering some of his brightest notices in years as Terence McDonagh, a drug-addicted New Orleans homicide detective. Eva Mendes stars as McDonagh’s prostitute girlfriend. Your guess is as good as mine as to why the legendary Werner Herzog (recently of Grizzly Man and Rescue Dawn) chose to remake Abel Ferrara’s controversial 1992 film that starred Harvey Keitel as the titular cop investigating the rape of a nun. Herzog won a Special Award from the Venice Film Festival, where he was also nominated for the prestigious Golden Lion.

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 his life around; he eventually earns a scholarship to Ole Miss. He doesn’t really do anything to change their lives, although the movie insists that he does.

THE BOOK OF ELI (R) The Book of Eli made it onto my most wanted list for 2010 based solely on its resemblance

to Fallout 3, the greatest videogame I have played in years. In a postapocalyptic wasteland, one man (Denzel Washington) must protect a sacred text with the secret to saving mankind while crossing the dangerous country.

The Hughes Brothers (Menace II Society, From Hell) can be hit or miss.

Hopefully, Eli is a home run. With Gary Oldman and Mila Kunis.

BROKEN EMBRACES (R) In acclaimed Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar’s newest film (his 17th feature), a blind screenwriter, Harry Caine (Butaca Award-winner Lluis Homar), recounts his secretive past to a young coworker. He reveals the accident that led to his blindness as well as his

Please put laptops and fairies in separate bins. breakup with famous actress Lena (Almodovar muse, Penelope Cruz, looking for her second Academy Award and third nomination).

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

M OVIE L ISTI NG S

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

ACC LIBRARY (706-613-3650)

For My Father (NR) 7:00 (Th. 1/14)

BEECHWOOD (706-546-1011)

Beechwood movie times are only accurate through Jan. 14.

Visit www.flagpole.com for updated times.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (PG) 5:10, 7:20, 9:30 Avatar 3D (PG-13) 4:30, 8:00 Blind Side (PG-13) 4:10, 6:55, 9:40 Daybreakers (R) 4:20, 7:20, 9:45 Did You Hear About the Morgans? (PG-13) 9:30 The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (PG-13) 4:05, 7:05, 9:55 It’s Complicated (R) 4:15, 7:15, 9:50 Leap Year (PG) 5:10, 7:30, 9:50 The Princess and the Frog (G) 5:00, 7:15 Sherlock Holmes (PG-13) 4:00, 7:00, 9:55 Up in the Air (R) 4:45, 7:30, 10:00 Youth in Revolt (R) 5:25, 7:35, 9:45

CARMIKE 12 (706-354-0016)

Carmike 12 movie times are only accurate through Jan. 14.

Visit www.flagpole.com for updated times.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (PG) 12:30, 2:40, 4:50, 7:00, 9:10 Avatar 3D (PG-13) 12:00, 1:00, 4:30, 6:20, 8:15 Avatar (PG-13) 12:00, 3:30, 7:00 The Blind Side (PG-13) 1:25, 4:20, 7:10, 10:00 Daybreakers (R) 1:45, 4:30, 7:15, 9:40 It’s Complicated (R) 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 9:50

12

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 13, 2010

resembles every other high profile CG feature, but the 3D is top-notch.

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 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.

CRAZY ON THE OUTSIDE (PG-13) Tim Allen’s directorial debut sounds like a comic remake of 2008’s wrenching I’ve Loved You So Long. Allen stars

Leap Year (PG) 1:30, 4:15, 7:05, 9:30 The Princess and the Frog (G) 12:35, 2:50, 5:05, 7:20, 9:35 Sherlock Holmes (PG-13) 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00 The Twilight Saga: New Moon (PG-13) 3:30, 9:50 Up in the Air (R) 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 9:50 Youth in Revolt (R) 1:05, 3:15, 5:25, 7:35, 9:45

CINÉ (706-353-3343)

The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (R) 7:00, 9:30 (new times F. 1/15: 9:30) (no shows Su. 1/17) Broken Embraces (R) 4:15, 7:00, 9:45 (no 9:45 show Su. 1/17) (starts F. 1/15) Fantastic Mr. Fox (PG) 5:00 (new times Sa. 1/16–Su. 1/17: 2:00) (no shows F. 1/15) The Messenger (R) 5:00, 7:15 (starts F. 1/15) The Road (R) 7:30, 9:45 (ends Th. 1/14) The Room (R) midnight (F. 1/15–Sa. 1/16) The Hurt Locker (R) 4:45 (new times Sa. 1/16–Su. 1/17: 2:15) (no shows F. 1/15) (ends Su. 1/17)

GEORGIA SQUARE 5 (706-548-3426)

Georgia Square Five movie times are only accurate through Jan. 14. Visit www.flagpole.com for updated times.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (PG) 5:10, 7:45, 9:55 Fantastic Mr. Fox (PG) 5:15, 7:50, 10:05 Law Abiding Citizen (R) 4:35, 7:35, 10:10 The Men Who Stare at Goats (R) 5:25, 7:55, 10:15 Where the Wild Things Are (PG) 5:20, 7:40, 10:00

as Tommy, a recent parolee who moves in with his sister (Sigourney Weaver) and her family. How does the fam explain Tommy’s absence to grandma?

They tell her that he’s been in France, naturally. The rest of the cast—Julie Bowen (“Modern Family”), Ray Liotta, J.K. Simmons, Jeanne Tripplehorn (“Big Love”), Kelsey Grammer and Jon Gries (Napoleon Dynamite’s Uncle Rico)—is funny, if a bit TV heavy.

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.

DAYBREAKERS (R) The trailer for this techno-horror film intrigues. In the future, mankind is on the verge of extinction; vampires rule the day… er, night. Facing a dwindling supply of blood, vampires seek a solution.

Meanwhile, a rogue researcher (Ethan Hawke) assists a covert band of vamps seeking to save humanity. Daybreakers is the second film from the German Spierig Brothers, whose Undead caused quite the genre stir way back in 2003. With Willem Dafoe and Sam Neill.

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.

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.

FOR MY FATHER (NR) 2008. During one fateful weekend in Tel Aviv, the star-crossed Terek, a Palestinian forced to become a suicide bomber, and Keren, an Orthodox Jew cut off from her family, fall in love in director Dror Zahavi’s award-winning drama.

Nominated for seven Awards of the Israeli Film Academy (most importantly, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Screenplay) and winner of two prizes from the Moscow and Sofia International Film Festivals. Part of the ACC Library’s iFilms series.

THE HURT LOCKER (R) Largely plotless, The Hurt Locker follows Bravo Company’s Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit through the rubblestrewn streets of Baghdad, where every rubbish pile may hide an improvised explosive device, better known as an IED. While anyone waiting for an overarching mystery to solve or an explosive mastermind to catch will be disappointed,The Hurt Locker is the highest intensity, hottest war drama made about Iraq. Director Kathryn Bigelow and Barry Ackroyd, the cinematographer from United 93 and Ken Loach’s Palme d’Or-winning The Wind That Shakes the Barley, capture the explosive microcosm of bomb removal, especially when the team fails.

THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS (PG-13) See Movie Pick.

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.

LEAP YEAR (PG) Amy Adams jumpstarts 2010 as Anna, who has worked tirelessly for four years to get engaged to her boyfriend, Jeremy (Adam Scott).

When he jets off to Dublin for business, Anna decides to join him and avail herself of an Irish Leap Day tradition, wherein women are encouraged to propose on Feb. 29. A teeny hiccup in her travel plans strands her in Wales, where innkeeper Declan (Matthew Goode) offers her a ride and maybe so much more.

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) See Movie Pick.

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 ROAD (R) As universally acclaimed as Cormac McCarthy’s postapocalyptic novel is (even Oprah loved it!), a certain amount of critical disappointment in its cinematic adaptation is to be expected. Director John Hillcoat’s film looks and sounds authentic in its oppressive grey skies and cracking, dying world. What is lacking is the intense emotional resonance of McCarthy’s sparse prose. As the man (Viggo Mortensen) and his boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) encounter cannibals, desperation and pure evil, they cling to one another as they seek the coast and hope. Joe Penhall’s adaptation is credible, adding a bit more clarity to the causes (some sort of nuclear disaster) without subtracting any of McCarthy’s desperation. Still, the man’s optimism, so long as his son lives, that the future must be better remains as amazing on the screen as on the page.

Mortensen and young Smit-McPhee confidently carry the film on their evermore emaciated shoulders. Hillcoat and Penhall should have jettisoned the boy’s constant cry of “Papa.” He sounds like a Russian waif rather than a vaguely modern American child. No, The Road is not as great a film as it is a book, but the screen companion does not embarrass its older, more accomplished sibling.

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. The Room will leave you with so many questions that don’t need answering. Did Johnny and Lisa get married? What about Claudette’s cancer? Why do they want to throw

the football so much? Why am I in a densely populated theater at one in the morning watching this strange, hysterical man vomit drama on the big screen?

SHERLOCK HOLMES (PG-13) The world’s greatest detective has not been on the case for a while. Thankfully, his latest investigation entertains like great, disposable blockbuster cinema should.

Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and Dr. Watson (a game Jude Law) must stop evil Lord Blackwood (an underutilized Mark Strong) from taking over the world through some sinister, supernatural means. A criminal love interest (Rachel McAdams) exists for the great private dick, but the real affection is the bromantic bond between Holmes and Watson. Sparks fly between Downey and Law; they make a great couple.

This new Holmes—misanthropic, depressed and singularly brilliant— owes a lot to House; it is not hard imagining Hugh Laurie stepping into Holmes’ familiar deerstalker and tweed.

Watching a Guy Ritchie movie (he of the laddish gangster Brit-flicks Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch) is like sitting for someone else’s amusing, exhausting three-toseven-year-old. You’re pleasantly worn out from all the running and jumping, yet you’re ready for some peace and quiet when the kid goes home. The same goes for Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes.

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.

l THE SPY NEXT DOOR (PG)

Former CIA agent, Bob Ho (Jackie Chan), must look after his girlfriend’s three kids, a task complicated by the Russian nemesis who is on the trail of a top secret formula accidentally downloaded by the youngest kid. The Spy Next Door sounds like so many of the other uninspired, family-friendly action comedies that dominated the 1990s and in which director Brian Levant specializes (Are We There Yet?, Jingle All the Way). With Amber Valletta, Billy Ray Cyrus and George Lopez.

THAT EVENING SUN (PG-13) An aging farmer (Hal Holbrook) escapes the nursing home only to find another family living in his old homestead.

Holbrook may be from Ohio, but much of the cast—Ray McKinnon, Walton Goggins, Carrie Preston and Holbrook’s wife, Dixie Carter—are true Southerners. I’ve only read one novel, Twilight, by author William Gay, upon whose short story this film is based; it was a doozy. Winner of the Jury Award for Best Narrative at the Atlanta Film Festival as well as prizes across the Southeast (Birmingham, Memphis, Nashville, Sarasota) and at SXSW. 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) Graceful frequent flier Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) hops from destination to destination, firing employees for their cowardly employers, and he executes his job as nimbly as he flies. But then, Natalie

Keener (Anna Kendrick), a young Cornell grad, revolutionizes firing with technology, threatening to permanently ground Ryan in Omaha. With its topicality, Up in the Air is definitely the movie of right now. Its tastefully shot exit interviews might hit too close to home for some recently downsized viewers; and pulling for the guy paid six figures to professionally sack people might be too much to swallow. Yet Reitman and his co-scripter Sheldon Turner rarely dwell on the ramifications of Ryan’s dirty job. Most of the people he fires may not be fiscally better off, but they have families—wives, children, a home—to go home to.

Up in the Air is one of those rarest of cinematic breeds; flawless is not a term I use frivolously.

THE YOUNG VICTORIA (PG) Emily Blunt, who wowed in The Devil Wears Prada, 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).

YOUTH IN REVOLT (R) Teenage trailer park resident Nick Twisp (current indie icon Michael Cera) really wants to lose his virginity to his dream girl, Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday).

As one of his multiple plans, Nick invents a bad-boy persona, Francois Dillinger, with a sweet ‘stache. In the past, director Miguel Arteta has teamed with Mike White (The Good Girl)— although he was not with this project.

With Steve Buscemi, Fred Willard and the great M. Emmet Walsh.

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movie pick

film notebook

Don’t Shoot the Messenger

News of Athens’ Cinema Scene

THE MESSENGER (R) Oren Moverman, who coangle; the documentary-style scenes of Will wrote Todd Haynes’ unconventional Bob Dylan and Tony informing mothers, pregnant girlbiopic, I’m Not There, makes his directorial friends, young wives and angry fathers are debut with a non-traditional war movie that brutal and intensely moving. An hour-and-aeventually follows the clichéd marching orders half film just depicting these tense meetings of a film about soldiers coming home. and intercut with Will’s empty life would be Staff Sergeant William Montgomery (Ben a powerful, original film that asks whether or Foster) is a decorated war hero. Upon his not what we are fighting for is worth the toll return home, he it takes at home. is assigned to the Foster and Casualty Notification Harrelson paint raw, service. Along with honest portraits of his fellow officer, the reality of profesCaptain Tony Stone sional soldiering.

(Woody Harrelson), Despite the strong Will is tasked with beginning and lauddelivering the worst able performances, news a soldier’s Moverman and his coN.O.K. (next of kin) scripter Alessandro could ever hear. Will Camon opt to climax has no desire to do with the typical this miserable job scenes of soldiers but follows his orders Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson drunkenly, violently, like a good soldier sexually self-destructwould. Eventually, he chafes at the stringent ing. Brothers and the underrated Stop-Loss procedures in place and begins comforting illustrated these implosions better; not that the soldier’s families as best he can. However, either film was blazing new territory. However, one of the N.O.K.s, Olivia Pitterson (Samantha The Messenger is a trailblazer for a while, and Morton), offers a unique challenge as Will that painful part of the film deserves to be finds himself drawn to this widowed mother. seen.

The first chunk of The Messenger looks at Drew Wheeler the effects of war from a decidedly different

movie pick

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 13, 2010

Now for Some Good News: When That Evening Sun, the new film starring Hal Holbrook that’s gotten some pretty glowing advance notices, opens at Ciné, the downtown arthouse will offer one of its most exciting “special screenings” in quite a while. Writerdirector Scott Teems, a Georgia native, and Drive-By Trucker Patterson Hood, who contributed songs to the film, will appear at a Saturday, Jan. 23 evening screening to discuss the movie and field questions from the audience. And no promises, but Hood dropped a hint that there may be a guitar on hand.

Whether that’s the case or not, this sounds

n

That Evening Sun starring Hal Holbrook is slated to open at Ciné.

Heath Ledger’s Curtain Call THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS (PG-13) One probably imagines Terry Gilliam’s latest film to be a visually appealing mess.

Star Heath Ledger tragically died in the middle of filming, leaving the Monty Python veteran scrambling to devise a means to complete his visually mesmerizing explication on the imagination. For once, Gilliam’s disinterest in a cohesive, traditional narrative comes in rather handy, allowing him to brilliantly solve the riddle of his missing star. Of course, it does not hurt that he could replace Ledger with the likes of Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell.

The thousand-year-old Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) headlines Heath Ledger and Lily Cole a ragtag theatrical troupe composed of the tiny Percy (Verne Troyer), homeless Anton (Andrew Garfield) and Parnassus’ 15-year-old daughter, Valentina (Lily Cole). Under the guise of a drunken charlatan, Doctor Parnassus grants people entry into their own imaginations, where they are offered the choice of redemption or damnation, courtesy of Mr. Nick (Tom Waits), the devil.

Apparently, the devil and Doctor Parnassus have been wagering with one another for

A Serious Drag: There’s a moment in Joel and Ethan Coen’s No Country for Old Men that perfectly encapsulates what I hate about their films. It comes right after the scene in which Carla Jean Moss declines Anton Chigurh’s offer to let a coin flip determine whether she lives or dies—one of the most shattering in the movie. Chigurh, injured in a random, violent car wreck, looks up at some kids who’ve happened upon the scene as they hiccup a few dopily credulous lines of deadpan drawl that obliterate the gravity of Carla Jean’s death.

It’s just crazy funny, if you think stupid people are funny and you feel like laughing.

centuries. The good doctor has won his immortality and his youth, but at the price of his daughter, come her 16th birthday, which just happens to be three days away.

Parnassus has sought every means of freeing his daughter, and the sudden appearance of the charming Tony (Ledger), discovered hanging underneath a bridge, may be what the doctor ordered, as Mr. Nick just offered Doctor Parnassus one final wager. Let the games begin.

I enjoyed Imaginarium more than any Gilliam film since 12 Monkeys. I always intend to like the imaginative filmmaker’s movies more than I actually do. If I were just satisfied by visual opulence, Gilliam’s films would be among my favorites. Yet narratively, they tend to be difficult to parse, and the obstinate nature of his storytelling pushes me away. Despite an early warning not to “worry if you don’t understand it all immediately,” Imaginarium mostly makes sense. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus may not be Gilliam’s finest work, but it is certainly an entertaining, creative continuation of a fascinating, briefly stalled career.

Drew Wheeler

Fate, you see, is characterized by a savage indifference that is exactly as easily acknowledged with a knowing, superior wink and an elbow to the ribs as with even a hint of sobriety, much less compassion. And for filmmakers with skills as keenly honed as the Coen brothers’, it’s supremely easy to swing from one meaningless tone to another. What’s frustrating about No Country for Old Men is that the Coens lack the pitch to know when to be serious. What’s ugly about their latest film, A Serious Man, is that they never even try.

That hasn’t seemed to bother most of the American film press, which has lauded the Coens’ long-form gag treatment of the Book of Job as an intensely personal (for them, I guess) exploration of the Jewish experience in the Midwestern United States of their childhood. What I don’t get is just what we’re expected to understand from this “personal” film when every character in it, and every situation, is so openly rigged and contrived that the only possible response to them is acute, painful bemusement. The characters are so flatly drawn, and the viewpoint so forced, that there’s literally no room for identification: everyone (and everything) here has already been unambiguously defined as a self-satisfied caricature. It’s relentlessly depressing.

It’s not that I demand lovable characters and happy endings. In fact, the ending of A Serious Man, a final fatalistic joke which conjures up an image that manages to be both terrifying and aptly Ecclesiastic—is one of the few things I like about the film. But these guys are absolute virtuoso filmmakers—maybe the most accomplished in the U.S. today—and it’s a drag to be reminded that their work will always be compromised by their strident contempt for humanity.

like something you’d hate to miss. Check www.athenscine.com for details, and www. thateveningsun.com for more.

More to Celebrate: Erstwhile Athenian filmmaker Craig Zobel has been chosen as one of 12 fellows for the prestigious Sundance Screenwriters Lab, which will be held during the 2010 Sundance Film Festival late this month. The Lab is an intensive five-day workshop for scripts that are chosen from a huge and highly competitive pool of applicants. The screenplay Zobel will be working with, Canary, was hatched through conversations he had with Athens writer and man-about-town Marc Tissenbaum about life in West Virginia coal country, where Tissenbaum grew up. The two travelled to Williamson, WV in early 2009 to research the setting, and came up with the basic story and characters during their shared drive back to Athens. Tissenbaum continued to contribute ideas and dialogue, but Zobel spent much of the past year fashioning the pieces into a finished script. Zobel, who will direct the film, is currently seeking funding for its production, which he hopes can begin by summer. This can’t hurt.

Holidays Over, Weekly Series Return: Upcoming ACC Library iFilms screenings are For My Father Jan. 14 and Encounters at the End of the World Jan. 21. Details at www.clarke.public.lib.ga.us. And the ICE-vision series is back, with screenings of Putney Swope Jan. 14 and Ralph Bakshi’s Wizards Jan. 21. Learn more at www.ice.uga.edu. Apologies for the abbreviated roundup; please check Film Notebook updates at flagpole.com—for real.

Dave Marr film@flagpole.com

2009 from a Darkened Theater

A Look at Last Year’s Movies 2009

will not be remembered as a banner year for movies.

The year gave us a handful of great films— potential classics—but overall, the pickings ranged more in the middling-to-good range.

Next year looks even worse as the results of the writers’ strike finally hit us full force. 2009 will be recalled for its science-fiction offerings, the best in many a year. Moon, Star Trek, District 9 and Avatar were good, better, best and bestest. Animation took center stage, too. A chunk of a top-10 list could be populated by animation alone (Up, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Coraline and The Princess and the Frog); add the year’s other top-notch toons (Ponyo, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Ice Age 3

3. STAR TREK (PG-13) J.J. Abrams’ reboot of the grandfather of science-fiction franchises skews more Indiana Jones than traditional Captain Kirk. Impeccable casting—Chris Pine as Kirk, Zachary Quinto as Spock and Karl Urban as Bones—and an absolutely brilliant refitting of the U.S.S. Enterprise, courtesy of “Fringe” co-creators Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, should be good for several more voyages.

7. FANTASTIC MR. FOX (PG)/ WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE (PG) I really couldn’t decide between the two amazingly mature adaptations of children’s classics. Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox has a slight edge due to its eccentric affability and may be the best ani-

some mean filmmaking right there. But I’m still laughing.

9. DISTRICT 9 (R) In a year of great science fiction, writer-director Neil Blomkamp’s allegorical feature debut was the most original.

District 9

4. UP IN THE AIR (R) A flawless film, Up in the Air boasts George Clooney in complete control of his suave, comforting, powerful charm. His Ryan Bingham is the most believably normal a movie star has seemed since Jack Nicholson’s

Avatar

mated film in a year of great animation. Plus, George Clooney’s a boon even when he’s only a voice. Spike Jonze’s WTWTA might be the most beautiful film of the year. The work by the belowthe-line talent—costume design, production design, art direction, set direction, makeup, musical score, etc.—blows away all the competition. and A Christmas Carol), and you know you’ve had a good year. My list doesn’t read that differently than most out there. The true surprises follow right behind in my list of movies to remember to rent or catch on cable.

THE BEST 1. AVATAR (PG-13) I am not kidding when I lob “best of the decade” honors the way of James Cameron’s feature film return after a 12-year absence. The special effects and technology are perfectly integrated into Cameron’s Day-Glo creation, Pandora, a planet teeming with inter-connected flora and fauna. Cameron may lack subtlety in his allegory (ranging from the relocation of Native Americans to the modern environmental movement) and originality in his story (everything from Dances with Wolves to Pocahontas).

2. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (R) Quentin Tarantino’s most mature film powerfully distills World War II into a ‘70s-esque revenge-ploitation flick. Christoph Waltz is a charmer as the Nazi hunter on the trail of Lt. Aldo Raine’s “bastards.” QT proves he doesn’t need his pop-culture-reference crutch to craft insanely ingenius dialogue-heavy scenes. And it’s not all about the bastards; the ladies, Melanie Laurent and Diane Kruger, are glorious, too.

Schmidt. Director-cowriter Jason Reitman makes good on the potential he showed with Thank You for Smoking and Juno. He is like a new Woody Allen, without the distancing European stylings, or a less sitcom-ish James L. Brooks. In Up in the Air, Reitman has given us a mature romantic comedy that is as timeless as it is timely.

8. A SERIOUS MAN (R) The Coen Brothers may have made the year’s funniest film, but boy, is it dark. This semi-autobiographical tale of

An alien race has been stranded in South Africa for the better part of 20 years, causing a great deal of racial turmoil in that already strained nation. Enter bureaucrat Wikus van der Mirwe (Sharlto Copley), whose condition soon changes the complexion of alien and human relations forever. Blomkamp and producer Peter Jackson have a Star Wars-ian (or at least Halo-esque) cottage industry brewing if they market this bad boy right. This film is a masterpiece of modern science fiction as well.

10. THE HURT LOCKER (R) I went back and forth on The Hurt Locker. On the list, off the list, atop the list; finally I settled on the 10 spot. I appreciated this film a hell of a

A Serious Man

5. UP (PG) Pixar has pretty much earned a permanent spot on the yearly top 10. (No pressure, Toy Story 3.) The oddest duo of protagonists of the year—a near-octogenarian, Carl (v. Ed Asner), and wilderness explorer Russell—venture to the wilds of South America, where they meet a talking dog, Dug, and a wily old adventurer (v. Christopher Plummer). I had a hard time deciding between Up and WALL-E for Pixar’s best of the decade (WALL-E won). It’s also just darn cute.

6. PRECIOUS (R) The hardest film of the year to watch is also the most inspiring.

Thanksgiving might have belonged to The Blind Side, but the sob story of Precious (Gabourey Sidibe), an overweight, illiterate, African-American teenager pregnant with a second child by her father, means so much more than that formulaic crowd-pleaser. As Precious’ abusive mother, Mo’Nique is the scariest human (I think she still qualifies) I saw on the big screen this year or last.

growing up Jewish in Minnesota would be abjectly depressing were it not laugh-out-loud hilarious. The woes keep piling upon college physics professor Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) even after the credits roll. That is

lot more than I liked it. Star Jeremy Renner deserves some award recognition, as does director Kathryn Bigelow (James Cameron’s ex-wife, no less). The war film was incredibly k continued on next page

JANUARY 13, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

15

2009 MOVIES

continued from p. 15

tense and meandering. Perhaps that explains my reticence, but know this is one great film you must see, even if you never want to watch it again.

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• ALSO WORTH SEEING: (500) Days of Summer, Adventureland, Away We Go, Bright Star, The Brothers Bloom, Brüno, The Class, Coraline, The Damned United, Drag Me to Hell, Funny People, Gomorrah, The Hangover, The Invention of Lying, Moon, Notorious, Observe and Report, Paranormal Activity, A Perfect Getaway, Pirate Radio, The Princess and the Frog, The Road, State of Play, Watchmen, Whip It

THE WORST 1. 2012 (PG-13) Impressively rendered destruction on a massive scale does not a twoand-a-half-hour movie make. John Cusack is not the right guy to go saving his family from an impending, big-budget apocalypse, and the blowed-up landmarks do not distract from the awful melodrama, scripted by director Roland Emmerich and former composer Harold Kloser, that surrounds it.

2. HALLOWEEN II (R) Rob Zombie didn’t want to do a sequel. He definitively ended his remake of John Carpenter’s slasher classic with a bullet to the masked face of killer Michael Myers so he wouldn’t have to make one. But money is more evil than non-verbal serial killers. Zombie insults his fans, the fans of Halloween and his performers, all tasked with bringing to life his despicable, white trash characters.

3. BRIDE WARS (PG) Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway embarrass themselves in this “send-

• OTHERS TO AVOID: Echelon Conspiracy, The Goods: Live Hard Sell Hard, Hotel for Dogs, I Love You Beth Cooper, Imagine That, My Bloody Valentine, My Life in Ruins, Obsessed, Pandorum, The Pink Panther 2, Saw VI, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li, The Unborn

THE WHEELIES • MOST DISAPPOINTING: 9, Jennifer’s Body, Halloween II, I Love You Man, The Informant!, Public Enemies, Terminator Salvation • SO BAD IT’S GOOD: Crank: High Voltage and Gamer (or anything by Neveldine/Taylor) • WORST TITLE (tie): Law Abiding Citizen (especially considering the grammatically incorrect lack of a hyphen), Transylmania • BEST FOLEY WORK (or Scariest to Listen to

by Yourself in the Dark): Drag Me to Hell • MUCH BETTER THAN ITS PREVIEW: Knowing • BEST ACTORS: George Clooney, Up in the Air; Cristoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds; Timothy Olyphant, A Perfect Getaway; Joseph Gordon-Levitt, (500) Days of Summer; Sacha Baron Cohen, Brüno; Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker; Matt Damon, The Informant!; Sharlto Copley, District 9; Jamal Woolard, Notorious; Viggo Mortensen, The Road; Michael Sheen, The Damned United • BEST ACTRESSES: Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia; Alison Lohman, Drag Me to Hell; the women (all two of them) of Inglourious Basterds; the roller derby girls of Whip It; Leah Pipes, Sorority Row; Abbie Cornish, Bright Star; Gabourey Sidibe, Precious; Mo’nique, Precious; Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air; Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air; the singing, dancing beauties of Nine

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up” of bridezilla culture. Hands down, the worst “chick flick” of the year. What a terrible way to start the year.

4. THE UGLY TRUTH (R) Gerard Butler needs a new agent—two straight years, two straight romantic duds. Too bad The Ugly Truth made so damn much money. It means Butler’s going to stick with the awful romcom course he is plotting. Plus, Katherine Heigl gets more loathsome by the role.

5. GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST (PG-13) All the charm of Matthew McConaughey cannot save this unfunny bomb. Not even the demographically perfect crowd uttered more than a single giggle. Sometimes, a jerk is just a jerk, and no manner of Dickensian second chances can save him.

• BEST DIRECTORS: James Cameron, Avatar; Neil Blomkamp, District 9; J.J. Abrams, Star Trek; Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker; Spike Jonze, Where the Wild Things Are; Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds; Marc Webb, (500) Days of Summer; Lee Daniels, Precious; Joel and Ethan Coen, A Serious Man; Jason Reitman, Up in the Air • BEST SCREENPLAYS: District 9, Neil Blomkamp; Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino; Where the Wild Things Are, Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers; Away We Go, Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida; Bright Star, Jane Campion; Precious, Geoffrey Fletcher; A Serious Man, Joel and Ethan Coen; Up in the Air, Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner Drew Wheeler

threats & promises Music News And Gossip Yeah, I see you. Stop rushing around thinking you’re going to take care of all your resolutions in a single week. You’ve got time to sit down and read this week’s news. Yes, you do.

So, procrastinate and start reading below…

Any Ideas?: Madeline is currently booking her tour, which will take her from Georgia to Austin, TX and place her smack dab in the middle of South by Southwest’s 2010 event. The tour will run from Mar. 12–20, with stops in Pensacola, FL; Birmingham, AL; Baton Rouge, LA; Lafayette, LA; New Orleans, LA; Denton, TX; and Dallas/ Fort Worth, TX. If you’ve got any tips on touring in those cities—whether it’s local bands to play with, house/club venues or anything else—please send the info to madelinesongs@hotmail.com.

Yes, she’s booked several tours in the past.

Yes, she knows a good amount of what to do.

But it never hurts to reach out and ask questions, though, does it? Nope.

Just So We’re Clear on This: Remember a couple of weeks back when I brought you news concerning the staff and engineers of Chase Park Transduction? Well, be sure not to forget that Billy Bennett (The Whigs, MGMT) also works there whenever he’s in town and not on the road doing MGMT’s live sound.

Get it? Got it? Good.

The Expanding Universe: Did you miss Killick’s show with his combo Pocket Full of Claptonite a couple of nights ago during WUOG 90.5 FM’s “Live in the Lobby” broadcast and his solo show at ATHICA? Kai Riedl Well, plan ahead for next month because on Friday, Feb. 26 Pocketful of Claptonite will appear on WUGA’s show “It’s Friday.” The group will also appear at Kingpins Bowl and Brew on Sunday, Feb. 28 with Montgomery, AL group No (not at all related to former Athens band No!) and Savannah’s Black Tusk. Check out more at www.killick.me.

Mom, Sign This Now!: The application season for Nuçi’s Space’s hugely popular Camp Amped is underway. This year the camp will run in two sessions (June 7–19 and July 5–17) and the cost is $600. Scholarships are available, and campers can also apply for financial assistance after acceptance announcements are released Apr. 2. Each potential participant must interview at Nuçi’s Space, do a brief “audition” just to make sure you know the very rudiments of your instrument (instruments provided by Nuçi’s Space for this), and generally bring something positive to the program. Sure, it sounds like a lot, but it’s a pretty simple process and the folks at Nuçi’s just want to make sure all the participants are on the same page. At Camp Amped you’ll form a band, record songs, learn instrumentation and recording skills, and play live. Included in the cost of participation are a Camp Amped t-shirt, two solid weeks of musical instruction, snacks, lunches, camp activities, a copy of your band photo and a CD of the songs your band records. Please head to www.nuci.org/

CampAmped2010/ as soon as you can and get an application, as this will fill up super quickly.

Winter Shots: The one-third Athens band Ruby Isle will release its album Night Shot: The Remixes courtesy of Kindercore Records, of which member Dan Geller owns half, on Jan. 19. The album features remixes of Ruby Isle tracks by DJ William Eastman, Geller’s own Twin Powers, Immuzikation, La Chansons and The Gold Party along with some covers by artists as diverse as Stevie Nicks, The Strokes, Black Lips, Bon Iver, Animal Collective and more. Remember when Ruby Isle was releasing a track every few weeks based on the top songs from Elbo.ws? Well, they’ve still got it! What does it sound like? Arena rock with a dance floor fetish. Judge for yourself, though, over at www.myspace.com/rubyisle.

Everything Is Related: Kai Riedl (Macha, Javasounds, Our New Silence) has been teaching Asian religion, Buddhist ritual and music in religious culture at UGA for the past several years. College courses are hella expensive, though, and Riedl is seeking to bridge the gap by teaching an introductory course designed for the budgets of folks who just can’t afford it otherwise.

That is, local musicians. All others are welcome, too, but I figured this might be of particular interest to musicians considering Riedl’s background and ties to the music scene.

They will have started by the time you read this, but they are drop-in classes on Sunday evenings at Rubber Soul Studio inside the Leathers Building on Pulaski Street, so you can start at any point in the course so long as you remember that each class builds on the previous week’s session. The cost is $5 per session. Of note, I’m mentioning this news out of respect for Riedl’s commitment to the music community here in Athens, his longtime contributions toward the preservation and distribution of international music and his participation in it. Religion is intensely personal and nothing written here should signify an endorsement of any particular religious belief or practice.

(Similarly, if you know of anyone with a similar background in the Athens music scene opening up low-cost, academically sound courses concerning religions other than Asian ones, I’ll be happy to pass that along as well.)

Questions concerning course material, texts, etc., should be directed to kriedl@uga.edu.

n

Plan Ahead: Jimmy Hughes is bringing his “Philadelphia version” of Folklore to town with him on Friday, Jan. 22, when the band plays the Caledonia with Quiet Hooves. Will this new group of brotherly lovers retain the essence of the original group or will they carpetbag their way to town with a gruff “Outta da way. We got this!”? Hell if I know. Pack some Tastykakes and go check ‘em out. Listen ahead via www.myspace.com/folkloreband.

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JANUARY 13, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

17

record reviews any of the other cuts on Parade.

Like the simple pleasure of getting some shuteye in after lunch, the music of Afternoon Naps is effortless, sweet and thoroughly enjoyable.

Jordan Stepp

AFTERNOON NAPS

The Cribs are playing the EARL in Atlanta on Jan. 20.

Parade Happy Happy Birthday to Me Afternoon Naps play the kind of pop that you’d expect from a cutely named band. That is, sweet-voiced boy/girl vocals, light-hearted melodies and catchy choruses all delivered in short bursts. It’s the type of pop that could be so giddy it’s annoying, but, luckily, Parade sidesteps that problem with the help of brevity. The whole record lasts about 31 minutes, leaving you no time to get bored.

“Catholic School” belongs on a beach-blanket movie soundtrack with its surf-beat drums and sing-along lyrics. “Mitten Fingers,” the longest track, is one of the highlights of the album.

A strong bassline holds together the panning synth and polyrhythmic drumming as the dual vocals and minimal guitar draw you into the song. The stand-out track, however, is “Digitally Altered Sunset”; a simple strum and hum song, it’s far slower than anything else on the album and manages to convey more heart as an instrumental than

title track). But most are decidedly anti-Smiths, and some approach almost rockabilly rhythms. They’re the kind of songs you crank up in your car and bop to at stop lights, like with the perfectly timed percussion of “Victim of Mass Production.” Sometimes the beats can get slightly monotonous, but there’s still nothing here that’s short of being legitimately good, at very least.

And you just can’t attribute that quality single-handedly to Johnny Marr.

Jennifer Gibson

The nine-track album is more of an alternative folk-pop record, full of ballads and only slightly up-tempo pieces.

“Down by the Sea” features a pleasant vocal melody from singer Chuck Andrews, backed by a sad-sounding piano, gentle, chiming guitars and great backup harmonies. The final track, “By the Side of a Mountain” is one of the strongest on the record. Beginning with a harmonica, the song is a stripped down ode to a woman— an honest song with impassioned vocals.

Overall, Oscillation Isolator is a solid follow-up to Sand Fashioned.

If you take the time to dive into the record, you’ll keep finding something new to enjoy. Oscillation Isolator is polished, plaintive, poppy and just plain fun.

Jordan Stepp

THE CRIBS Ignore the Ignorant Warner Bros.

Making guitar legend Johnny Marr an official member of the underground Brit-pop band you share with your brothers can be looked at two ways: either you’re good enough to attract him, or so poor he saw you as a project. The latter is probably what took him to Modest Mouse, but The Cribs might be a different story. Ignore the Ignorant, The Cribs’ fourth record (and first with Marr), is a strikingly melodic 12-song set of nearly perfect pop guitar riffs and choruses so catchy you might lose sleep over them.

Perhaps surprisingly, Marr’s influence is obvious on only two tracks (the excellent, sonic, rainy day “Last Year’s Snow” and the “Panic”-esque

Much of the band’s sound, from Monica and Gallardo’s alternating lead vocals, to the synth sounds and crunchy guitars, calls to mind L.A. band Shiny Toy Guns. Even the track I found unlistenable at first, the Autotune-heavy “What Is It with Me,” eventually seeped into my subconscious. I was turned off by the robotic vocals effects at first, but damn it if the tune isn’t addictive. But the strongest moments on the record are when Gallardo’s sultry voice, unaltered, takes center stage—like the seductive melody of “Rain on Me.” The tones that The Orkids employ could easily fall into dangerously Eurotrash techno territory if mishandled, but they are able to stay grounded in pop sensibility and rock rhythms throughout. Still, I could imagine The Orkids finding a permanent home on some music fans’ guilty-pleasure shelf, sitting snugly next to the latest Lady GaGa record.

But that’s no dig, people. Paper Dolls sounds totally pro, and the hit-making potential is strong.

Michelle Gilzenrat

THE ORKIDS FIRE ZUAVE Oscillation Isolator Independent Release Let’s set the record straight. Fire Zuave sounds almost nothing like Of Montreal, even though one bandmember is related to Kevin Barnes. In fact, Zuave’s second album, Oscillation Isolator, actually sounds closer to something Wilco might release than the wackiness the record artwork implies.

Paper Dolls Independent Release The debut EP from this local group is polished and propulsive, a dance record that slides across the spectrum from pop to electronica. When founding duo Adam Monica and Sandra Gallardo first posted tracks on their MySpace, the result was synth-heavy but sometimes swirled into more trip-hop sounds. Now, expanded into a five-piece, The Orkids have a more focused force behind them.

VAMPIRE WEEKEND Contra XL Recordings With Contra, Vampire Weekend delivers on the hype by expanding the

template of its self-titled debut with a multicolor sonic palette. And while Vampire Weekend’s stripped-down Afro-pop is as catchy and literary as ever, open space is now filled with elaborate eight-bit constructions and marimba/zabumba/rebolo guest spots. The strong rhythm section has a new trick or two, too, as post-punk and Afro-funk polyrhythms plod and pixilate into Casio-toned Super Mario Bros. soundtrack sound-alikes.

Still, considering producer Rostam Batmanglij’s recent electro-pop side project Discovery, the new electronic parts should be as unsurprising to fans as Ezra Koening’s blatant use of Autotune in “California English.”

Of course, Vampire Weekend’s exotica is just as self-conscious as it is post-colonial. Take “Diplomat’s Son”: pasting together vocal samples from the prototypical (the first-wave Jamaican ska of Toots & the Maytals’ “Pressure Drop”) and from the auteurist (M.I.A.’s globe-trotting and polyglot “Hussle”), the track drags the musical lineage further with a Reggaeton beat.

Or take the historicism of “California English,” where Koening’s cool syllable-play simultaneously references rap, Dylan and African throat-singing.

Diglossic, Vampire Weekend’s pastiche combines the Tina Barney “highcult” of the band’s media-inflated, upper-crust image with the localized “low culture” of the ethno-based musical vocabulary that underlies its pop.

Yeah, from Paul Simon’s Graceland, and now in the vein of Van Dyke Parks’ Discover America, Contra filters the black-and-brown music-form through American surf rock and jangle-pop with a proto-punk patois, surveying a new type of hybrid Americana as the band brings indie to the pop mainstream— and all are delivered in an economical 37 minutes.

Christopher Benton

JOIN YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS FOR THE SECOND ANNUAL N YOUR FRIDAY N YOUR FRI AY JAN. 29 10 JAN a - 29 5 p.m.

FRI AY 0 a m. - 5 p.m SATURDAY JAN 29 a.m 30 5 p.

ATURDA JAN. 300 N. Thomas St. at The Classic Center 10 a m 3 p m.

Downtown 30 N T Athens S S Cl i C Exhibits Friday Seminars Saturday AN 30 300 Seminars N Thoma Interactive Exh bits Displays Kids’ nter Activities ctive Dis Recycling Opportunities Kids’ Activities

at T

F iday Seminars Alternative Transportation Eco Tourism Alte nati eT Fri y Sem Benefits of Building Green Eco Tou ism Alter ative Solar Power for Business Benefits of Bransportation ilding Gree Eco Tourism The Sustainable Sol r Power for Office usine Benefits o 101 Bu Recycling The Susta nab Solar Powe World Cafe Recyc ing The Sustainab e Offic Sustainable World Cafe Outreach

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC - ADMISSION IS FREE

Visit www.GreenLifeAthens.com for more information

This event is made possible by the generous support of these community-minded sponsors:

18

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 13, 2010

er

Saturda Gardening eminar Container Green Baby, Green Conta ner GSemin r eninFamily S t day rs Locavores Green Bab Container Vermicomposting LocavoresGarden Green Baby, Geo caching Vermicompo Locavores Environmentalism Panel Geo caching Verm com osting Make Yo r Own Adventure Envir nmental m Panel Kit Geo-caching Super Fuels Make YCharged r OwnBio Adventur

Jason Thrasher

3 Pool Tables, Darts, PINBALL

PLAY KENO!

LIVE MUSIC EVERY WEEKEND!

Drive-By Truckers Three-Night Stand with Three Generations of Musicians

In

the span of three nights, the Drive-By Truckers will introduce you to the past, present and future of rock and roll. As if their riotous homecoming weren’t enough, Patterson Hood and friends are bringing some surprising opening acts along for the ride—bands separated in age by about 50 years.

On night one, Hood presents the opportunity of a lifetime to a group of young musicians from Nuçi’s Camp Amped program.

“I am really, really excited about it,” he says. “I’ve been involved with Camp Amped the last two summers, and I was absolutely blown away by what they’re doing.” As usual, proceeds from the Truckers’ three-night stand at the 40 Watt will benefit Nuçi’s Space, and Hood thought it would be a perfect tie-in to highlight the organization’s Camp Amped program.

During Camp Amped summer sessions and after-school programs, kids aged 11–17 get music lessons from some of Athens’ greatest talents (Patterson Hood being one of them), in addition to writing, recording and performing original music.

Camp Amped director Laura Ford says she was floored when Hood offered up an opening slot to the campers. She has seen Camp Amped alumni dive into the music scene, booking their own shows and playing out, but a gig of this magnitude is unprecedented. She helped pick a group of five campers she felt would work well together and who were mature enough for this massive debut. They will be followed by Bloodkin, another heavy-hitting local act that Hood says he recruited early on.

“Their last record was just phenomenally great,” he says.

Ford sat in on the campers’ recent rehearsal and says they are practicing really hard. “All the kids are really excited and nervous,” she says. “They have a few covers and a few originals planned… songs they wrote at camp.”

Hood can’t help but think about his own childhood when looking at the opportunities afforded these young Athenians.

“There weren’t any peers doing what I was trying to do,” he says of his early days playing music in Alabama. “I literally had the only band in my hometown playing original music. I had to reinvent the wheel… If only there was something like Camp Amped when I was their age. I think it could have made a huge difference and maybe saved me a few years of doing things the hard way or the wrong way.”

Nobody knows about Patterson’s early struggle with music more than his dad, legendary Muscle Shoals producer and session player David Hood. He was there from the beginning— making things extra hard for his son.

“Being a professional musician myself, I really didn’t want him to follow in my footsteps,” says David. “I thought Patterson would be better off as a pharmacist or lawyer… or some regular job.”

Of course, Papa Hood is singing a different tune now that the Truckers are doing so well, and he’s proud to share the stage with them on Friday and Saturday, opening the night with legendary Muscle Shoals band The Decoys. And while the father/son pairing is especially sweet, it’s an honor just to see The Decoys play in Athens. To say these guys are seasoned musicians would be a gross understatement. David, for one, was a member of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (AKA “The Swampers,” as referenced in the song “Sweet Home Alabama”).

He has worked in the studio with some of the biggest names in the business: Aretha Franklin, Bob Seger, Rod Stewart, Paul

Simon… the list goes on for miles. He even spent some time on the road in the early ‘70s as a member of Steve Winwood’s band, Traffic. But David wasn’t the kind of dad who brought his work home with him.

“He wouldn’t play the records he played on,” says Patterson, “but I would, secretly, when I was supposed to be doing homework… and when I got older and understood what he had done and what he was doing, I was very, very obsessed and not too happy that he was discouraging me. It was a source of a little animosity in my teenage rebellious age. I thought, he gets to do this cool job in music and isn’t helping me at all.”

To make things worse, David’s other studio owner took the total opposite approach with his kid, bringing him around the studio all the time.

“I resented that bigger than hell. My dad’s partner’s kid was always talking about some cool concert he got to go to, hanging out backstage, rock star shit he was getting to do… I was pissed.”

In retrospect, however, Patterson appreciates the distance his dad allowed early on. “He didn’t want anyone to say he handed me this or that or that I got any short-cut,” he says.

“Of course, I was an abject failure for about the first 15 years,” laughs Patterson, “so by that time people knew I had worked for it.”

Father and son have collaborated a bit in the studio—Pop even appears on Patterson’s recent solo record Murdering Oscar: And Other Love Songs. But despite David Hood’s 10-year history with The Decoys and a lifetime in music before that, the 40 Watt gig is only the second time he’s ever shared a bill with his son.

The first time The Decoys and the Truckers teamed up was last summer at the Muscle Shoals Theatre. David Hood was thrilled by the opportunity, but he was certainly skeptical at first.

“I thought it was a weird combination because we’re from different generations, but we share a lot of the same music interests… and as it turns out, Truckers fans seemed to really enjoy us,” says David.

“They rocked the place!” enthuses Patterson about The Decoy’s opening slot. “Dad really plays his ass off.”

And while the crowd response was great there, Patterson is confident the 40 Watt will blow that show out of the water.

“There is nothing like a 40 Watt show. The level of intensity from the crowd will be well beyond that… I look forward to the Athens shows like a kid every year!”

MON. TUES. WED.

thurs.

Michelle Gilzenrat

WHO: Drive-By Truckers, Camp Amped Showcase, Bloodkin WHERE: 40 Watt Club WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 14, 8 p.m.

HOW MUCH: $22.50 (adv.), $25 (door) WHO: Drive-By Truckers, The Decoys WHERE: 40 Watt Club WHEN: Friday, Jan. 15 & Saturday, Jan. 16, 8 p.m.

HOW MUCH: Friday, SOLD OUT! Saturday, SOLD OUT!

JANUARY 13, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

19

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Japan’s New Sounds Come to Athens

C

ultural wealth takes many forms and is generally passed from generation to generation with the hope that it will be preserved. Some choose to revere the achievements and essence of the past and further dignify it by demonstrating how seamless transitions into new artistic contexts are possible. This type of smooth adaptation and the respect from which it originates are immediately noticeable in the work of the artists who will perform as part of Hogaku: New Sounds of Japan 2010.

The University of Georgia’s Center for Asian Studies, The Japan Foundation and the Consulate-General of Japan in Atlanta present the event, to be held at the Ramsey Concert Hall at the UGA Performing Arts Center. A lecture by Takafumi Tanaka, editor of traditional Japanese music magazine Hogaku Journal, will precede the performances. The program will feature three Japanese duos, TsuguKaji-Koto, Oyama x Nitta and Hide & Miho, performing separately and demonstrating their expertise on the koto, shamisen and percussion, respectively.

The eight-year-old duo TsuguKaji-Koto is composed of Tsugumi Yamamoto and Ai Kajigano, each a graduate of the NHK Academy for Japanese Traditional Music. Known for blending voice and the koto (Japanese zither), Kajigano has performed in 18 different countries and received a wide range of awards. Similarly, Yamamoto has enjoyed an impressive solo career while collaborating with multiple artists. The pair utilize 13-, 17- and 25-string kotos and exemplify the values mentioned above. Those being, of course, the connecting of a culture’s traditional works with a contemporary interpretation via the same instrumentation.

Oyama x Nitta will each perform with the shamisen (loosely comparable to a banjo) and each is a virtuoso in the realms of original compositions and classical repertoire, being specifically conversant in the style of Tsugaru-Shamisen (percussive playing, thicker strings, larger-sized instruments) that originated in the agricultural north of Japan. Yutaka Oyama and Masahiro Nitta will improvise a large portion of their performance. They have traveled the world, received multiple accolades and released eight albums between them since 2000.

Percussionists Hide & Miho, specializing in chappa (cymbals) and taiko (wide, Japanese drums), respectively, began their careers as members of larger groups. Hide played for 17 years in taiko group Koda, in which he also sang and danced, while Miho was a founding member of taiko group Kodaijin before beginning her solo career in 1999.

The lecture by Takafumi Tanaka will focus on the research and preservation of traditional Japanese music. Tanaka founded Hogaku Journal in 1987, and the publication has served as a conduit connecting artists with potential audiences. In the case of traditional music, these connections are often tenuous and were certainly more difficult to create in the pre-cyber-age media of 1987. Tanaka was the chief organizer for the Nippon No Oto Festival in 2001 and is the founder of the Hogaku Association. The term “Hogaku” is a way to group diverse traditional Japanese styles together—vaguely similar to the way we might use “folk” or “roots” to describe a genre of music.

Cultural wealth takes many forms, and this week, Japan adds some of its to ours.

Gordon Lamb

WHAT: Hogaku: New Sounds of Japan 2010 WHERE: Ramsey Concert Hall, UGA Performing Arts Center WHEN: Friday, Jan. 15, 8 p.m.

HOW MUCH: FREE!

20

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 13, 2010

Your Decade in Athens Music Plus, Some of Our Favorite Threats & Promises from 00–09

2000

Sept. 20: “To me, the White Stripes playing the 40 Watt shortly (days) after Sept. 11, 2001 was one of the strangest and most memorable shows of the decade; there was almost no one there, they played a really short set, and Jack White seemed to be getting pissy at the few people in attendance, but it was still really good.” —Hillary Brown

February: The Mental Health Benefit celebrates its 10th Anniversary with a concert series featuring Kevn Kinney, Five Eight, Elf Power and more.

February: Local musician/filmmaker Angie Grass and friends buy a bar called the Hole in the Wall and turn it into the headquarters for Athens’ Flicker Film Society. Flicker was founded in ‘91 by a group of UGA students in art professor Jim Herbert’s class. The venue is still known as Flicker Theatre & Bar, although its focus has shifted from film to live music.

Oct. 11: The debut performance of Circulatory System at the 40 Watt Club!

Oct. 16: Overly excited news blurb in Club & Wire (now Threats & Promises) reads: “Holy Fucking Shit!!

R.E.M. plays Athens!: In case you’re dead or in a

Feb. 8: Widespread Panic plays a surprise gig at the Georgia Theatre under the moniker Stain Souls.

April: The Oracle changes its name to The X-Ray Café, a space which owner Paul Thomas tells Flagpole will be a “pop, surrealist, Dada venture… a constantly metamorphisizing organism.”

Chris McKay · concertshots.com

March: Rumors spread that a young Britney Spears has plans to enroll at UGA in the fall.

Apr. 11: Flaming Lips perform a unique “headphone concert” at the 40 Watt Club wherein audience members listen to a stereo mix of the sound board through headphones with FM receivers.

Aug. 9–12: The Kindercore Expo features Kincaid, I Am the World Trade Center, Kings of Convenience, Masters of the Hemisphere, Of Montreal, VHS or Beta, Dressy Bessy and many, many more acts that rock the 40 Watt. “We serve Righteous Juices,” boasts the 40 Watt ad.

Sept. 30: Nuçi’s Space opens its doors!

Dec. 31: “Guided by Voices/ The Glands 40 Watt (2000). GBV was still an amazing drunken revelation at this point, and The Glands were playing all the songs off their soon-to-be-released self-titled masterpiece, which was my favorite album by an Athens band this decade.” —Andrew Rieger

2001

February: The “Athens Band Search” series, called by some “the ultimate search for undiscovered local talent” begins at Wild Wing Café under the direction of Matt Lucas (of the band Grasshopper).

Mar. 6: Love Tractor releases its first studio album in 10 years, The Sky at Night, on Razor and Tie Entertainment.

May 6: Singer of legendary German ‘70s art rock band Can, Damo Suzuki, gave a moving and beautiful performance at Tasty World which ended as he came out into the crowd and hugged every single member of the audience! He ended up spending the night at the Ultramod house and resident Raleigh Hatfield reported waking up at 8 a.m. to go to the bathroom to find Suzuki sitting on the couch drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette. He smiled at Raleigh and said in his heavy Japanese accent, “Breakfast!” —Andrew Rieger May: Landlords evict the residents of 369 Finley St., a punk DIY space rented by members of Carrie Nations.

August: Mayoral candidate Heidi Davison appears onstage at a Breakheart Beat gig at the 40 Watt touting her run for office.

Aug. 7: JoE Silva writes in Threats & Promises about seeing Madeline Adams play solo for the first time: “Not much bigger than her acoustic guitar, Madeline sat beneath a single blue light bulb that night and proceeded to wow all the girls and boys at the Ultramod… God help you if you happened to be in the way of those paying customers who leapt to their feet when she played an ode to pin-up model Betty Page… You can only take so much of that kind of euphoria in an airless room on a hot summer night in Georgia.”

Oct. 3–6: WUOG celebrates its 30th anniversary.

2003

Jan. 22: “OK, punters,” Gordon Lamb both threatens and promises, “this column is going to be 100 percent local, starting right now.”

April: The B-52s are included on a list of bands MTV Europe should not play out of sensitivity to the war in Iraq. According to an MTV Broadcast Standards department memo, the network should refrain from playing videos that depict “war, soldiers, war planes, bombs, missiles, riots and social unrest, executions and other obviously sensitive material.” Apparently a war plane-related band name is also on the list. “I don’t know which is funnier,” Gordon Lamb wrote at the time, “MTV picking on a band whose videos it hasn’t played in at least 10 years or MTV trying to get us to believe they have anything to do with ‘broadcast standards.’”

May 7: Bill Mallonee (Vigilantes of Love) becomes the first act signed to Paste Records, a subsidiary of the magazine.

Sept. 6: “Favorite show of the decade: Drive-By Truckers at the Georgia Theatre for the Decoration Day release show. They brought it until 3 a.m. My ears are still ringing.” —Harrison Wallace

2004

June 12: “Bonnie Prince Billy/ Brightblack Morning Light Orange Twin Conservation Mike White · deadlydesigns.com

In

September: Local duo I Am the World Trade Center finds itself in a quandary with a new album out and a suddenly controversial band name. “The name means a lot to us, and we are really getting sick of people insisting we change it who don’t even know who we are or what we are about,” says Dan Geller.

“We will be billed as I Am the… for the 40 Watt Club show [on Sept. 22, 2001]. However, we are not exactly sure what we are at this point.”

a recent survey, Flagpole asked its readers to name some of their favorite Athens music memories from the aughts. Here they are, with some of our favorite “threats and promises” from the decade, too. What did we miss? Tell us at www.flagpole.com.

John Mayer coma, Athens rock gods R.E.M. played the motherfucking Georgia Theatre on Tuesday, Oct. 16.” This marks the band’s first proper show in Athens since 1993.

Oct. 27: “People forget pretty easily when it comes to this sort of thing, but when The Strokes came through shortly after the release of their debut album, with all the fire and hype the music world could muster behind them, some were excited, some were skeptical, all of them were trying to find tickets, and none of them left disappointed. That show was pure rock ‘n’ roll.” —Davy Gribbs

2002

Jan. 9: “Threats & Promises” debuts as a column title. The first round is written by Brandon Butler.

Feb. 7: John Mayer records the music video for “No Such Thing” at a show at the Georgia Theatre.

April: Flagpole mentions a farewell show at Compadres for “gangly 23-year-old” and Half-Time Hip-hop Show host Brian Burton, who is moving from Athens to London. He ends up doing pretty well out there. You might know him today as DJ Danger Mouse of the internationally successful duo Gnarls Barkley.

March: Music Hates You stirs up trouble after stenciling its logo on clubs and newspapers around town.

April 21: R.E.M.’s Peter Buck is arrested after an alleged air rage incident during a flight from Seattle to London.

Apr. 20: Dashboard Saviors play a special reunion show at Tasty World, throwing in a cover of “Rhinestone Cowboy.”

Mar. 8: “Best show of the decade: The debut show of The Breakheart Beat and The Agenda at the Ultramod Compound. Also, best venue of all time!”

—Dan Geller

R.E.M. Aug. 24: In honor of Chronic Town’s 20th anniversary, Flagpole music editor and Roosevelt drummer Ballard Lesemann covers the album in its entirety at the Engine Room (now Max Canada). “Ballard played bass and sang along to drum and guitar tracks that he pre-recorded,” recalls Andrew Rieger. “Unbeknownst to him, Michael Stipe heard about it, came to the gig and joined Ballard onstage for a spontaneous and unrehearsed rendition of a couple of songs… It was simultaneously amazing and hilarious.”

Sept. 4: Gordon Lamb’s first Threats & Promises column! A few weeks later he’ll declare “Coldplay is currently the shining jewel in the crown of Capitol Records now that labelmates Radiohead have decided to have a staring contest with irrelevancy.”

Sept. 14: The B-52s play a Nuçi’s Space benefit at the 40 Watt Club.

Community. Rain threatened to cancel the show, but Bonnie Prince Billy and band instead walked through the crowd, playing acoustic in the rain, making for a truly unique and wonderful experience. Then the rain let up, and they played another full set electric.”

—Andrew Rieger Aug. 5: Pylon reunites at a space soon to be called Little Kings Shuffle Club! Lee Valentine Smith wrote about the show: “The crowd pushed in closer and onlookers that were turned away from the door of the sold-out bash crowded around the windows to watch as the band blazed to life again… Crowe, soaked in sweat, had shed his t-shirt and Hay had abandoned reading the lyrics, alternately standing dead still with her arms behind her back and dancing wildly, vividly recalling bursts of her famously frantic flailing of the past. It was 1980 in 2004.” k continued on next page

JANUARY 13, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

21

MUSIC DECADE

continued from p. 21

“This surprise show was one of the most jubilant and raucous events I’ve ever witnessed in this town, with oldsters and youngsters alike dancing like crazy to the newly revitalized legends.” —Andrew Rieger October: Wilmot Greene buys the Georgia Theatre from Bill “Duck” Anderson and begins extensive renovations.

November: Gordon Lamb reports: “The Killers, riding a wave of hype so big you’d have to steer out of the way to miss it, provided the most banal mix of both The Strokes and The Faint without ever delivering the pleasure of either.

Seriously, this band sounds like any number of indie-rock bands with an Emerson, Lake and Palmer fetish. While I know in their little hearts they envision themselves in the same league with bands such as New Order, in my humble opinion they’re not even fit to sweep up the peanut shells after a New Order show.”

June 22—25: AthFest turns 10!

July 20: The Beatles’ original drummer, Pete Best, performs with a band at Locos’ courtyard.

Sept. 1: “One of the most memorable shows of the decade: Circulatory System at Secret Squirrel. This was the first time I got to see the Circulatory System, and it was probably my favorite performance by them simply because of the atmosphere. They played on the floor in a circle and really put on a high energy show.

You’d never know it was 2 a.m. when they started playing.” —Mike White

Summer: A rap war erupts between Son1 and Jdown Valmont.

Aug. 18: The official resurrection of Kindercore Records is celebrated with a party at Caledonia Lounge.

Oct. 8: “Favorite concert of the decade: John Popper’s surprise performance with The Whigs (even to them) on “Need You Need You” at Tasty World speaks to all that is special about Athens. I mean, they were playing under a pseudonym as the early band on a Monday night, and the most famous harmonica player in the world jumps onstage with them for one song. Where else would that happen except the most magical city in the world?”

—Harrison Wallace

December: Local “metal-goof group” Coulier celebrates the release of Cool, Cooler, Coulier at the Caledonia Lounge by not playing a single note. Rather, the band put together a Coulier cover band featuring members of We Versus the Shark, Cinemechanica, Serka and Marriage to play the songs instead. “The members of Coulier spent the night drinking themselves into a frenzy,” said Flagpole, “challenging girls in the audience to drinking contests onstage and stripping down to their underwear.”

Oct. 7: After years of waiting, Major Organ and the Adding Machine makes its debut at Ciné. The psychedelic film features a slew of Elephant 6-ers: Will Hart, Julian Koster, Kevin Barnes, Andrew Rieger, Jeff Mangum and more. The film coincides with the Holiday Surprise Tour featuring the Elephant 6 Orchestra.

Nov. 14: Five Eight celebrates its 20th anniversary with a show at the Melting Point.

Dec. 18: After 36 years of operation on the fifth floor of Memorial Hall, WUOG packs its bags and moves across the street to the Tate Student Center.

2009

2008

June 28: Playing its first show in over a decade, Dreams So Real reunites as AthFest main stage headliners.

February: DT’s Down Under becomes Rye Bar.

August: Club Chrome opens its doors and Blur reopens as New Earth Music Hall.

February: Blue Flashing Light is invited to China to play the annual Peach Blossom Festival.

Aug. 22: The Tom Collins reunite for the Caledonia Lounge’s 10th anniversary. The band played the venue’s opening show back in ‘99. In November, Patterson Hood will begin a residency at the club as another way to honor its anniversary.

Sept. 8: After eight years of anticipation, Circulatory System finally releases its sophomore album, Signal Morning.

Mike White · deadlydesigns.com

March: Dark Meat buys a huge green bus and hits the road on a Vice Records-backed national tour. Frontman Jim McHugh maintains a blog of their adventures on www. flagpole.com. Hey, Flagpole is blogging!

2005

Apr. 15: “Holy Shit This Is Big” declares Flagpole. Olivia Tremor Control agrees to reunite for the English festival All Tomorrow’s Parties. In preparation for the big event, OTC plays a warm-up show in Athens: “Favorite show of the decade: Olivia Tremor Control at the 40 Watt in 2005. They’re one of my favorite bands, and it’s the only time I’ve ever been able to see them live.” —Candice Jones

Circulatory System

June 24: Legendary rocker Nikki Sudden performs on an outdoor stage at AthFest. “Beside being a major influence on players ranging from Sonic Youth to today’s young punters, Sudden has a formidable catalogue as a solo artist,” wrote Gordon Lamb. “I could talk for hours about the man and still not say enough, so just be sure to catch him.” Sudden passed away a year later.

Sept. 21: The Melting Point opens its doors with a performance by the Del McCoury Band.

Fall: “Within the first week of moving to Athens, during a cold and otherwise depressing autumn of ‘05, I saw Hope for Agoldensummer performing on the Wuxtry rooftop, and it was rather beautiful.

Having lived in a larger city all my life, I had never before witnessed such a casual, yet intimate, yet totally accessible performance of music…” —Stacey-Marie Piotrowski October: R.E.M. plays a special reunion show with original drummer Bill Berry at a wedding reception held at Kingpin’s Bowl and Brew.

2006

Sept. 12: Athens musicians come together to cover songs by R.E.M. The show will be released on CD as Finest Worksongs: Athens Bands Play the Music of R.E.M. The guests of honor pop onstage for a surprise performance, too!

Dec. 31: “One of the most memorable shows of the decade: Dark Meat, Maserati, Brown Frown and Music Hates You at Secret Squirrel.

With New Year’s Eve falling on a Sunday, all the bars were closed, and the only place to be was the Secret Squirrel, and they had one hell of a NYE show that lasted into the early morning hours. The place was packed and everyone was there to rock and have a good time.” —Mike White

2007

February: The Whigs put out the call for a new guitarist following the departure of Hank Sullivant.

“Join the Whig Party” says Flagpole, “Anyone who even considers auditioning must be prepared to begin touring soon.”

Mar. 6: “Favorite concert of the decade: My Morning Jacket Prom at the 40 Watt! I wore my mom’s dress, dancing in front of Jim James. The Set list was SICK (played “Johnny B. Goode”). I will never forget that moment.” —Ashley Knotts

January: UGA launches its Music Business Program.

Mar. 12: R.E.M. is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Apr. 13: Beck plays a sold out show at the Georgia Theatre, but the real treat is his surprise performance with his band at the Georgia Bar afterwards, which included a quickie covers medley of Justin Timberlake, Queen, Sugarhill Gang and Michael Jackson.

May: Former local rapper JY King of Drunk is “banned from downtown Athens” following his third arrest for underage drinking, so he packs up and moves to Atlanta where, as he says on his MySpace blog, “the real mo-fuckin playas play.”

22

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 13, 2010

Pylon April: Local promoter Mercer West, who is already well known for his free Jammy Jamm shows and Secret Squirrel bookings, wreaks havoc on Flagpole’s Calendar with “Freedom Week,” a month-long event featuring a free show almost every night. Many of the bands are makeshift ensembles thrown together just for one night. “Let’s just say I’ve never seen a bigger example of people acting against their own self-interest since I was duped into voting for a Republican,” Gordon Lamb wrote controversially. Thus spawned a scene-wide debate on the benefits and disadvantages of free concerts.

July: UGA classics professor Brett Rogers, playing under the name Brett Bretterson and the Brettastics, plays every street corner in downtown Athens.

July 4: The debut of the George W. Bush Cover Band at The Globe, a brilliant tribute/mockery of our infamously inarticulate commander-in-chief, the band uses W’s speeches as lyrics and puts them to music.

Sept. 11: The Rialto Room in the new Hotel Indigo hosts its first show with a set from piano man David Smits.

Sept. 27–28: The sludgy, experimental drone of Sunn O))) shakes the walls of Seney-Stovall Chapel through an impossibly thick cloud of smoke-machine fog in what will surely be remembered as one of the most surprising pairings of band and venue.

October: Pylon’s second album, Chomp, originally released in 1983, is made available on CD for the first time care of DFA Records.

Oct. 10: Legendary Krautrock band Faust headlines at the 40 Watt along with Circulatory System. Faust also hosts a workshop on composition at Ciné the following day.

Sept. 20: Widespread Panic is inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.

Oct. 24: “Favorite show of the decade: It blew me away to see Dead Confederate and the Meat Puppets rock the 40 Watt stage together during an encore. It was so amazing to be standing just feet from the stage while these two awesome bands played!” —Kristin Danch-Powell

Aug. 16: During Popfest, Julian Koster and his revived project Music Tapes end the show by passing out kazoos and leading the entire 40 Watt audience out of the club in a buzzing parade across downtown Athens.

Nov. 2: Vic Chesnutt plays the 40 Watt Club, enthusiastically singing old favorites and new material off his recent release, At the Cut. Unfortunately, it will be remembered as his last hometown performance.

the calendar!

WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK

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

Tuesday 12 EVENTS: Family Fun Night (Lay Park) Bring a potluck dish and compete to see whose family is the most fun. Hula hoop contests, sack races and a free-throw contest will determine the ultimate champion. 6 p.m. $1/person. 706-613-3596 EVENTS: Fuad Elhage (Casa Mia) Tango dancing! Bring a partner or make a new friend. 8 p.m. FREE! 706-227-4444 EVENTS: Movie Night (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Catch a screening of the film Still Bill, the story of soul legend Bill Withers. FREE! www. myspace.com/flickerbar GAMES: Locos Trivia (Locos Grill & Pub) All three Athens locations of Locos Grill and Pub (Westside, Eastside and Harris St.) feature trivia night every Tuesday. 8:30 p.m.

FREE! www.locosgrill.com GAMES: Trivia (Doc Chey’s Noodle House) Every Tuesday with drink and food specials! 8:30–10:30 p.m.

FREE! 678-779-2211

Wednesday 13 EVENTS: Canine Cocktail Hour (Hotel Indigo, Phi Bar & Bistro Courtyard) Drink and food specials for you and your (well-behaved, non-aggressive, vaccinated) dog!

Every Wednesday. 5–7 p.m. www. athensdowntownhotel.com EVENTS: Plotluck Night (Ciné Barcafé) Master storytellers or fumbling beginners, you are all invited to share true stories from your lives at this new weekly event. You get five minutes and a microphone, and the audience gets to vote for the best story. No reading from notes if you want to win the prize! 7 p.m.

FREE! (donations welcome), www. athenscine.com PERFORMANCE: Mundanish Comedy Show (Tasty World Uptown) Featuring Jarrod Harris from Comedy Central’s Live at the Gotham. 8 p.m. $5. www.myspace. com/tastyworlduptown 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: Cupcake Club (Rocksprings Neighborhood Center) Meet with your fellow cupcake compatriots and collaborate on the design for a different themed cupcake every Wednesday! 10–11:30 a.m. $1. 706-613-3603, www.accleisureservices.com KIDSTUFF: Wildcard Wednesday for Teens (ACC Library) Up next: Taboo Jr. This game day may be more challenging (and, naturally, more fun) than you expect. Ages 11–18. Space is limited. 4 p.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650

LECTURES & LIT.: “The Cinema of Pedro Almodovar” (Ciné Barcafé) UGA’s Film Studies Coordinator, Richard Neupert, leads this discussion in anticipation of the opening of Almodovar’s newest film, Broken Embraces. 6 p.m. FREE! www.athenscine.com LECTURES & LIT.: “Path of Buddhist Yogis” (Healing Arts Centre) Derrick Pawo speaks about the non-monastic tradition of Buddhist Yogis from India and Tibet.

7 p.m. FREE! 706-613-1143, www. healingartscentre.net GAMES: Game Night (Alibi) Develop coordination, tolerance and grace through beer pong and blind draw darts. 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. 7:30 p.m. 706354-6655 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 14 EVENTS: Live After Five (Hotel Indigo, Phi Bar and Bistro) Get a headstart on your weekend with live music from Trey Wright and wine tastings. Thursdays, 6–8 p.m. $15 (wine tastings). 706-546-0430, www.athensdowntownhotel.com ART: Opening Reception (Athens Academy, Myers Gallery) For the Art Teachers Invitational Show, an eclectic exhibit featuring the work of over 20 local teachers. 7–9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-9225 KIDSTUFF: Children’s Book Award Program (ACC Library, Storyroom) Discuss the nominations for the 2009–2010 Georgia Children’s Book Award. For first through fifth graders. 3:30–4:30 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 KIDSTUFF: Homeschoolers Chapter Book Review (Madison Baptist Church) Elementary schoolage homeschoolers gather at the library to read a book together and

talk about it. Every Thursday. 1 p.m.

FREE! 706-795-5597 KIDSTUFF: Teen Cartoon Illustrators Club (Lyndon House Arts Center) Work on your favorite style of cartoon with other young artists and discuss recent drawings and characters with cartoonist Robert Brown. Pizza and soda included!

Every other Thursday. Call for more information. 706-613-3623 LECTURES & LIT.: Terrance Hayes (Ciné Barcafé) Terrance Hayes, the nationally acclaimed poet and author of Wind in a Box, speaks about his work. Hayes is the recipient of a Whiting Writers Award, a Pushcart Prize, three Best American Poetry selections and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship.

7:30 p.m. FREE! www.athenscine. com MEETINGS: Spanish Group (1000faces Coffee, 588 Barber Street) All-level Spanish conversation group. Informal, welcoming and fun! Every Thursday.

7–8:30 p.m. FREE! 706-534-8860, www.1000facescoffee.com

Friday 15 EVENTS: Farmers’ Market (Flora Hydroponics, 195 Paradise Blvd.)

The Sacred Earth Growers Co-Op sets up a newly established yearround farmers’ market. Organic meat and dairy vendors, produce venders, local artisans make this an exciting new addition to your weekend. 2–7 p.m. FREE! 706-353-2223 EVENTS: Rev. Todd Baker’s Happy Hour and Book Premiere (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Todd Baker recently wrapped up a book about the Drive-By Truckers, and he’s throwing a pre-show party open to any and all DBT fans! Baker is planning a comedy routine for the occasion. 5 – 7 p.m. FREE! www. myspace.com/flickerbar PERFORMANCE: Hogaku: New Sounds of Japan 2010 (UGA Ramsey Concert Hall) A 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 THEATRE: Grease (Oconee County Civic Center) Join the Pink Ladies and the T-Birds for the Oconee Youth Playhouse’s presentation of the everpopular 1972 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Jan. 15 & 16, 7 p.m. Jan. 18, 3 p.m. $16 (adults) $14 (students & seniors), $12 (kids 12 & under) www.oypoysp.com/ playhouse KIDSTUFF: Afterhours @ The Library (ACC Library) Teen coffeehouse and open mic. Come sing, dance, play an instrument, read poetry or juggle. Refreshments provided. Ages 11–18. 7–9 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650

Beth Thompson’s photography series, “A Fresh Look at a Familiar Landscape” is on display at Strand Hair Salon through January.

LECTURES & LIT.: “Hogaku: New Sounds of Japan 2010” (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 MEETINGS: Drinking Liberally (Little Kings Shuffle Club) Informal, inclusive and progressive social group that gives left-leaning individuals a chance to talk politics.

First and third Fridays of every month. 6:30 p.m. athens@drinkingliberally.org

Saturday 16 EVENTS: Adoption Day (Pet Supplies Plus) Local animal rescue organizations bring their pups out for a chance at finding a forever home. Love connections made every Saturday! 11 a.m.–3 p.m. 706-3530650 EVENTS: Book Sale (Athens Elks Lodge) The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks hosts a book sale! All books are $2, and proceeds benefit local charities. Jan. 16, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Jan. 17, 1–4 p.m. www. georgiaelks.org EVENTS: Contra Dance (Memorial Park) Old-time contra dance with live music and calling presented by the Athens Folk Music & Dance Society.

No experience necessary, no partner needed. Free lesson at 7:30 p.m.

8–11 p.m. $7 (18+), FREE! (ages 17 & under). www.athensfolk.org

EVENTS: Effie’s Club Follies Chili Cook-Off (Little Kings Shuffle Club) Local restaurants and individuals compete to find out who has the best chili in Athens. Winners selected by a panel of local celebrity judges.

Also featuring door prizes, performances from Effie’s Club Follies and karaoke with Jon Lester. 6 p.m. $10. www.effiesclubfollies.com EVENTS: Farmers’ Market (Flora Hydroponics) The Sacred Earth Growers Co-Op sets up a newly established year-round farmers’ market. sets up a newly established year-round farmers’ market. 2–7 p.m. FREE! 706-353-2223 EVENTS: Miss UGA Scholarship Pageant (UGA Hodgson Hall) UGA women compete for $1,500 in scholarships and prizes. The winner will move on to the Miss Georgia Pageant later this year. Tickets available at Tate Center cashier window and Performing Arts Center box office. 7 p.m. $10 (UGA students), $15 (non-students). 706-542-8074* EVENTS: Total You 2010: Northeast GA’s 2nd Annual Women’s Expo (The Classic Center) The ultimate spa party for “total” women features relaxing massages and manicures, eye-opening fat analyses and skin care assessments, cutting-edge fashion shows, challenging new exercise and dance demos and more. 10 a.m.–3 p.m. $5 (adults), FREE! (ages 12 & under). www.totalyouexpo.com THEATRE: Grease (Oconee County Civic Center) An Oconee Youth

Playhouse production. See Jan. 15 Theatre. Jan. 15 & 16, 7 p.m.

Jan. 18, 3 p.m. $16 (adults) $14 (students & seniors), $12 (kids 12 & under) www.oypoysp.com/playhouse OUTDOORS: Naturalist Walk (Sandy Creek Nature Center) Learn about winter happenings in the the woods when you join SCNC staff for a walk around the property. Bring a camera or binoculars. All ages; children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult. Call to register. 10–11 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3615 KIDSTUFF: Meet the Author (ACC Library) Native Athenian Helen H. Kimbrough will read Play Dates and Other Tales, her multicultural picture book comprised of four short stories.

10:30 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 KIDSTUFF: Nature Trading Post (Sandy Creek Nature Center) Program intended to encourage personal nature exploration and raise awareness about ecological connections among young collectors. Participants earn points for their collected items (shells, rocks, animal bones, etc.). Kids, bring an adult to participate! 10–11 a.m.

FREE! 706-613-3615

Sunday 17 EVENTS: Book Sale (Athens Elks Lodge) The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks hosts a book sale! All books are $2, and proceeds benefit local charities. Jan. 16, 8 k continued on next page

JANUARY 13, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

23

THE CALENDAR! WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13

THURSDAY, JANUARY 14

FRIDAY, JANUARY 15

SATURDAY, JANUARY 16

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20

THURSDAY, JANUARY 21

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22

SATURDAY, JANUARY 23

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13

COMING SOON

24

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 13, 2010

a.m.–5 p.m. Jan. 17, 1–4 p.m. www. georgiaelks.org EVENTS: Kirtan (Vastu School of Yoga, Chase Park Warehouse) Lend your voice to this ancient form of devotional chanting performed in the traditional “call and response” form with live drumming and harmonium.

7–9 p.m. FREE! 561-723-6172, vastuyoga@hotmail.com ART: Opening Reception and Gallery Talk (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) For an exhibit featuring silk batik fabric art. Artist Jamie Kirkell will discuss his work, the history of batik and more in a gallery talk beginning at 3 p.m. 2–4 p.m. FREE! www.uga.edu/botgarden, www.kirkellsilkstudios.com THEATRE: Grease (Oconee County Civic Center) An Oconee Youth Playhouse production. See Jan. 15 Theatre. Jan. 15 & 16, 7 p.m.

Jan. 18, 3 p.m. $16 (adults) $14 (students & seniors), $12 (kids 12 & under) www.oypoysp.com/playhouse LECTURES & LIT.: Book Signing (Borders Books & Music) Authors Jillian Wright and Robert Mulford discuss and sign their new books. 2 p.m. FREE! 706-583-8647 GAMES: Full-Contact Trivia (Allen’s Bar & Grill) Sports-themed rules with diverse categories. 9 p.m.

FREE! www.allensbarandgrill.com

Monday 18 EVENTS: A Century of Tawny Port (Aromas) Taste four different tawny ports and enjoy various cheeses and chocolates. Space is limited; call to register. 7 p.m. $20. 706-208-0059, heather@aromaswinebar.com EVENTS: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service (Lyndon House Arts Center) Celebrate Dr. King’s legacy by volunteering to work on different local service projects in the morning and then celebrate in the afternoon at LHAC with live music, variety shows, poetry readings and hands-on art activities. 9 a.m.–3 p.m. 706-613-3623, www.

AthensMLKDay.org.

KIDSTUFF: “I Have a Dream” Program (Various Locations) Individuals ages 6–16 are invited to learn about the life, work and message of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Call to register for the program at either Broadacres or Parkview Community Centers. 4 p.m. $2. 706613-3603 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: Ping Pong (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Get your paddle ready for a riveting round of table tennis. 4–8 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 with prizes!

Sign up at 7:30. 8:30 p.m. 706354-6655

Sunday, Jan. 17 continued from p. 23

Tuesday 19 EVENTS: Georgia GOP Gubernatorial Debate (UGA Journalism Building) The Clarke County GOP sponsors a debate between the Republican candidates for governor of Georgia. Radio and TV broadcasts will cover the state, but if you would like to attend, direct your request to athensgopchairman@ yahoo.com. 7 p.m.

EVENTS: Movie Night (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Tonight’s double feature begins with She (1985) and is followed by The New Barbarians (1990) at 10 p.m. 8:30 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/flickerbar KIDSTUFF: Children’s Storytime (ACC Library) For children ages 18 months to 5 years. Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m., Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 KIDSTUFF: Read to Rover (ACC Library) Beginning readers in grades 1–4 read aloud to an aid dog. Trainer always present. 3:30–4:30 p.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 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 GAMES: Trivia (Doc Chey’s Noodle House) Every Tuesday with drink and food specials! 8:30–10:30 p.m.

FREE! 678-779-2211

Wednesday 20 EVENTS: Canine Cocktail Hour (Hotel Indigo, Phi Bar & Bistro Courtyard) Drink and food specials for you and your (well-behaved, non-aggressive, vaccinated) dog!

Every Wednesday. 5–7 p.m. www. athensdowntownhotel.com EVENTS: Plotluck Night (Ciné Barcafé) Master storytellers or fumbling beginners, you are all invited to share true stories from your lives at this new weekly event. You get five minutes and a microphone, and the audience gets to vote for the best story. 7 p.m. FREE! (donations welcome), www.athenscine.com PERFORMANCE: LowDown (New Earth Music Hall) Local comedian Chris Patton hosts this stand-up open mic night the third Wednesday of every month. Only 12 slots are available so sign up in advance at www.thelowdown.tk. Open mic will run from 10 – 11 p.m. followed by a set from Athens’ Last Comic Standing winner Marc Lamotte and a sit-down interview with mayoral candidtate Charlie Maddox at 11:30 p.m. 9:30 p.m. $5. www. newearthmusichall.com KIDSTUFF: Children’s Storytime (ACC Library) For children ages 18 months to 5 years. Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m., Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 KIDSTUFF: Cupcake Club (Rocksprings Neighborhood Center) Meet with your fellow cupcake compatriots and design a different cupcake every Wednesday!

10–11:30 a.m. $1. 706-613-3603, www.accleisureservices.com KIDSTUFF: Eatin’ with the Critters (Sandy Creek Nature Center, ENSAT) Bring a sack lunch for an hour of learning about our world and the animals that inhabit it. For ages 3–5 with an adult. Call to register. 11 a.m.–noon, $0–$13 (scholarships available). 706-613-3615 KIDSTUFF: Wildcard Wednesday for Teens (ACC Library) Up next: Book Safes. Learn how to fashion a secret hiding place out of an old book! Ages 11–18. Space is limited.

4 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650

LECTURES & LIT.: Talking about Books (ACC Library, Small Conference Room) This month, members will read and discuss E.L. Doctorow’s The March. 10:30 a.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 GAMES: Game Night (Alibi) Develop coordination, tolerance and grace through beer pong and blind draw darts. 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. 7:30 p.m. 706354-6655 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.

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

Live Music Tuesday 12 Alibi 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 KARAOKE With the singing cowboy.

Wednesday, January 13

Zoso Melting Point Zoso has been playing Led Zeppelin songs longer than Led Zeppelin ever did: 15 years and counting. The “ultimate Led Zeppelin experience” is well known in this town, and for years the tribute act was a mainstay at the Georgia Theatre. When the Theatre went up in flames last summer, the guys in Zoso weren’t sure how, or if, they could return to Athens.

“We were going to wait until the Georgia Theatre reopened,” says Matt Jernigan (Robert Plant). “But it just seemed like too long of an absence.”

That’s when Jernigan got a call from former Theatre co-owner Kyle Pilgrim. Pilgrim recently joined the Melting Point as the talent buyer, and he immediately turned to one of his old familiar standbys to help fill the club.

Pilgrim remembers the first time he saw Zoso at the Lyric Theatre in Oxford, MS. “I’ve got a recording of that show on iTunes,” says Pilgrim, “and whenever it pops up I think ‘God! These guys sound exactly like Led Zeppelin!’ They are just remarkable.”

Jernigan is especially proud to announce that after five years the original Zoso lineup, the one that really made a name for the group, is back together. “We have our original drummer and guitarist back, so we’re able to do a lot of new stuff, well, ha, new old stuff that we haven’t done in quite a while.” So that means, among other crowd pleasers, “Dazed and Confused” is back in the lineup, complete with bow solo, and Jernigan says they’ll be tackling some deeper cuts from Physical Graffiti as well.

“We’re looking forward to coming back,” says Jernigan. “We do about 160 to 180 shows a year, and Athens is always one of the best stops. It’s a real good music town, and everyone is open to things that aren’t mainstream. So, even when we do obscure stuff, it’s accepted.” [Michelle Gilzenrat]

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.

Go Bar 9 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar BLACK BARBIE A mashup of punk, electro and pop described as “a little bit hood, a little bit scene.”

PUNK BUNNY Charmingly off-kilter electropop dance tunes.

SHITTY CANDY Local femme punk crew Shitty Candy “throws some bitch punk in your face.” The accompanying Circus Peanuts are the crew of backup dancers going the costumed/burlesque-ish route.

WITNESS THE APOTHEOSIS New wave/industrial two-piece based here in Athens. Heavy and rapid electronic dance beats fused with Depeche Mode-esque vocals and dark, moving cello.

The Melting Point 7 p.m. $3. www.meltingpointathens. com CURLEY MAPLE Fiddler David Blackmon’s progressive old-time project. He’s joined by wife Noel and Christian Lopez on mandolin and guitar, and Chris Enghauser on bass. New album Shawneetown is out now!

Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown THE DISTRICT ATTORNEYS New local rock started by Drew Beskin in Indiana and recently relocated here. His poppy Americana style is influenced by acts like Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac and The Replacements.

JOKERS AND THIEVES Folk-rock originals and interestingly interpreted covers.

WHIMSICAL MIMBSICALS Featuring TJ Mimbs.

Wednesday 13 Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com BELLMAN BARKER D.C. four-piece with an Appalachian folk approach to indie rock.

CANDY MALDONADO New local band whose debut EP, Me to Your Right, Like Meteorite, features airy, mostly instrumental numbers punctuated by unpredictable rhythms and jangly guitars.

EASY A No info available.

PONCHO MAGIC Bluegrass sensibilities with country-rock execution.

The multi-part vocal harmonies are the real show, though.

Farm 255 9:30 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com LESLIE HELPERT Local singer-songwriter covers the songs of Billie Holiday in this special tribute performance.

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

Go Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar COP DOPE New local band featuring members of Dark Meat and

Backtalk playing “power-violent ‘80s hardcore.”

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22

The Melting Point 9 p.m. $10. www.meltingpointathens. com ZOSO Expect typical Led Zeppelin covers as well as a trip into relative Zep obscurity during the California band’s traditional two-set performance. See Calendar pick on p. 24.

THE

RATTLERS RADIOLUCENT doors open at 8pm • seven dollars adv.

NOMAD ARTISTS PRESENTS

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

Rye Bar 10 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ ryebarathens MAC N CHZ These Southern rockers do originals and classic covers with their own unique spin.

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

NUÇI’S SPACE BENEFIT DRIVE

Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown ASHUTTO MIRRA Local heavyleaning alternative rock group that manages to mix in a bit of Southern influence.

JUSTIN KENNEDY Local singersongwriter with a country drawl who sings earnest, radio-ready ballads about the trials and tribulations of daily life.

MAJOR LOVE EVENT With upbeat piano and vocal arrangements, this new pop duo features local singersongwriter Rebecca Van Damm on keys and drummer CK Koch.

Thursday 14 40 Watt Club 8 p.m. $22.50 (adv). www.40watt.com BLOODKIN The long-running Athens rock and roll quartet plays a bluesy style of roots-rock music with big guitars and sharply written lyrics for darkly countrified bar-room rock.

CAMP AMPED SHOWCASE A band featuring young musicians from Nuçi’s Space’s Camp Amped summer and after-school program.

Performing covers and originals!

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS Local alt-country superstars take up a three-night-stand at the 40 Watt.

Proceeds benefit Nuçi’s Space. See story p. 19.

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

Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com MANRAY Local band of three brothers who play high-energy, “off-timed” rock and roll with “threads of improvisation.”

WEDGE Local, dramatic, electronic alt-pop akin to Mum, Sigur Ros, Bjork and other subtle, Icelandic things.

Club Chrome 9 p.m. $5 (to compete), FREE! (admission). 706-543-9009 KARAOKE CONTEST This is week two of this eight-week competition!

THE ORKIDS

CD RELEASE PARTY • FREE EP WITH TICKET

TRANCES ARC CRANE

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

THURSDAY, JANUARY 14

SATURDAY, JANUARY 23

doors open at 9:30pm • five dollars adv.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28

MONOTONIX BAMBARA doors open at 9pm • ten dollars adv.*

FRIDAY, JANUARY 29

A DAFT PUNK TRIBUTE doors open at 10pm • ten dollars adv.*

BLOODKIN CAMP AMPED SHOWCASE

doors open at 8pm twenty two dollars and fifty cents adv.* FRI. JAN. 15 & SAT. JAN. 16 SHOWS ARE SOLD OUT!

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20

doors open at 9pm • six dollars

THURSDAY, JANUARY 21

LEADING EDGE COME WHAT MAY DR. SQUID THE DESARIOS

doors open at 8pm • seven dollars

WUGA C the lassic

91.7

SATURDAY, JANUARY 30

MODERN SKIRTS

REPTAR • THAYER SARRANO doors open at 9:30pm • eight dollars adv. *

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3 & THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4

MOONLIGHT BRIDE THE INTERNS 2nd ANNUAL REDCOAT

NOMAD ARTISTS PRESENTS

OF MONTReAL JAMES HUSBAND

doors open at 8pm • fifteen dollars adv. * All Shows 18 and up • + $2 for Under 21 * Advance Tix Available at Schoolkids Records ** Advance Tix Sold at http://www.40watt.com

EXCLUSIVE HOME OF THE

PBR 24oz CAN

97.9fm

El Paisano 8 p.m. 706-353-0346 KARAOKE Every Thursday with margarita specials.

Farm 255 11 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com LERA LYNN TRIO Lera Lyn is the tender, jazzy folk voice behind Birds & Wire. k continued on next page

JANUARY 13, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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THE CALENDAR!

Thursday, Jan. 14 continued from p. 25

Go Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar ADAM KLEIN AND FRIENDS This local singer-songwriter’s latest release, Western Tales & Trails, features a blend of the finest elements of folk, Americana and country with poetic lyricism and striking imagery to create engaging, well-crafted songs.

EFREN Local indie swamp-folk band plays selections from their new album Thunder and Moan. Efren offers emotionally rich, tender tunes for fans of acts like Iron and Wine.

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

Hotel Indigo “Live After Five.” 6 – 8 p.m. FREE! www.athensdowntownhotel.com TREY WRIGHT Live jazz music at the Phi Bar and Bistro.

The Melting Point 9 p.m. $8 (adv), $10 (door). www.meltingpointathens.com THE LAST WALTZ ENSEMBLE Progressive jam group that works its way through covers of classics by The Band and Bob Dylan.

New Earth Music Hall “Wild Rumpus Rally.” 10 p.m. $7 (adv), $10 (door). www.newearthmusichall. com KITE TO THE MOON With the Tiger Girls swinging on trapeze, Kite to the Moon is partying hard with its selfdescribed brand of “focus spazz-pop raunchy-metal.” Come dressed in “Wild Rumpus” costumes, as this evening’s show will be filmed for an upcoming Kite to the Moon music video!

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

The Office Lounge 8 p.m. FREE! 706-546-0840 KARAOKE CONTEST Every Thursday with Ken! Rye Bar 10 p.m. $2. www.myspace.com/ryebarathens THE HYPSYS Prog-rock jam band from Tuscaloosa.

LASSIEZ FUNK Local up-and-comers play funk-jam fusion plus a variety of covers.

Friday 15 40 Watt Club 8 p.m. SOLD OUT! www.40watt.com THE DECOYS FEAT. DAVID HOOD David Hood–father of The Drive-By Truckers’ Patterson Hood–lends his talents as bass player and “bona fide swamper” to this legendary Muscle Shoals blues group. The band has been rocking for over two decades, and promises a mix of covers and originals.

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS Local altcountry superstars take up a threenight-stand at the 40 Watt. See story on p. 19.

Alibi 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 WEISER ME Three brothers play classic Southern rock.

Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com 50:50 SHOT Big-band ska like you haven’t heard in years.

BURNS LIKE FIRE Local band featuring members of Karbomb, Wristbandits and Celerity. A quartet of musical disarray!

ROYAL CITY RIOT A fresh take on reggae that stays true to its Jamaican roots while introducing American soul and R&B influences.

THE TAJ MOTEL TRIO Ironically named eight-membered aggro-ska outift from Cornelia, GA that sounds

like a SoCal transplant and features a funky horn section.

Club Chrome 9 p.m. $5. 706-543-9009 THE DANIEL LEE BAND Performing a blend of country music and Southern rock.

Farm 255 11 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com JOHN FERNANDES Local multiinstrumentalist who formed Circulatory System with Olivia Tremor Control bandmates performs a solo set.

JACOB MORRIS Acoustic, ‘70sinspired folk rock. Morris also plays in Moths and Ham1.

The Globe 10 p.m. FREE! (donations welcome).

706-353-4721 MELVIN MATHURIN JAZZ QUARTET Essential and original jazz compositions.

Go Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar AGE OF THE GIRL BAND First show!

THE K-MACKS An eclectic mixture of folk, blues and punk driven by narrative storylines.

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

Little Kings Shuffle Club 11 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ littlekingshuffleclub DJ BABY PANDAS Genre goes out the window tonight as former Flagpole music editor Chris Hassiotis selects a wide-ranging array of gleeful dance favorites and obscurities, from garage rock to funk to pop plus some surprise favorites.

The Melting Point 9 p.m. $5. www.meltingpointathens. com THE CHARLIE GARRETT BAND Garrett plays country rock ballads with the occasional foray into psychedelic territory. He’s got a solid new lineup with plans to record

Friday, January 15

Charlie Garrett Band, Ken Will Morton Melting Point With the exception of a one-off show at No Where Bar a few months back, Charlie Garrett has been laying low this past year, but that doesn’t mean the man hasn’t been busy. In August he Charlie Garrett Band bought Full Moon Studio out in downtown Watkinsville, and along with engineer Jay Rodgers, has worked to restore it to its former glory.

“I recorded my first album there about three years ago, and I loved it,” says Garrett.

“I thought it was a shame that more people weren’t recording there. From what I’ve been told, it used to be a happening place in the ‘90s—David Barbe interned there. It has really, really nice vintage gear, an analog tape machine and ProTools and a really nice vintage board. There is a huge, open live room, too.” Now that the studio is revved up and ready to go once again, Garrett hopes bands will start heading his way to record— his own band included.

Since his last show at the Georgia Theatre over a year ago, Garrett has written a fresh batch of country-fried Southern rock and put together a new lineup of musicians, two of whom he met teaching guitar at Full Moon Studio as part of the Oconee School of Rock.

“I love the guys I’m playing with,” Garrett says of Scott Nicholson (Bearfoot Hookers), Joe Ellison and Jay Rodgers (Kite to the Moon). Whereas Garrett was backed by a rotating cast of musicians in the past, he says this lineup is solid and is excited about recording with them in the coming months. Garrett is also looking forward to getting back in the live circuit. He hand-picked local songwriter Ken Will Morton to open the show and says Garrett will be bringing some surprise friends onstage to join the set at the end of the night. [Michelle Gilzenrat]

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 13, 2010

his sophomore release soon! See Calendar Pick on this page.

keyboards to emulate a jazz band sound.

New Earth Music Hall 9 p.m. $5. www.newearthmusichall. 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.

FUTURE APE TAPES Innovative local psychedelic hip-hop with loops and samples from another planet.

Buffalo’s Southwest Café 7:30 p.m. $8 (adv), $10 (door). 706354-6655* MOTOWN REVIEW Playing all the classic Motown hits.

The Office Lounge 9 p.m. FREE! 706-546-0840 S.O.B. BLUES BAND Covering blues from the ‘70s and beyond.

Rye Bar 10 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ ryebarathens PATRICK ATWATER Original and cover tunes, all intertwined with live looping and drum & bass grooves.

Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown TREEDOM Funky new local four-piece with some psychedelic tendencies.

TRIBAL ZINE Local band with a classic rock/jam sound featuring plenty of live improvisation.

Terrapin Beer Co. “Blur Magazine Issue 13 Release Party.” 5:30–7:30 p.m. www.terrapinbeer.com TIMI CONLEY Playing two sets of music with selections from his solo debut Nerd Sexy.

Two Story Coffeehouse 8 p.m. FREE! 706-850-5422 AUSTIN SISK Acoustic singersongwriter.

MATT WHITING Acoustic singersongwriter performing on guitar, WUGA 91.7 FM 4 p.m. FREE! www.wuga.org “IT’S FRIDAY!” The Bros. Marler and Drew Dixon will perform on the local radio station’s weekly program. University Cable Channel 15 will also broadcast the show.

Saturday 16 40 Watt Club 8 p.m. SOLD OUT! www.40watt.com THE DECOYS FEAT. DAVID HOOD David Hood–father of The Drive-By Truckers’ Patterson Hood–lends his talents as bass player and “bona fide swamper” to this legendary Muscle Shoals blues group. The band has been rocking for over two decades, and promises a mix of covers and originals.

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS Local altcountry superstars take up a threenight-stand at the 40 Watt.

Alibi Happy Birthday, Tim Smith! 9 p.m.

FREE! 706-549-1010 SLAMMIN’ BETTY Southern rock, Athens-style.

Allen’s Bar & Grill 9 p.m. FREE! www.allensbarandgrill. com REDNECK GREECE Local artist sings swingin’ hillbilly honky tonk about “folks that grew up on the wrong side of tracks” with both a biting sense of humor.

Borders Books & Music 3 p.m. FREE! 706-883-8647 DR. IAN JOHNSON Local musician plays easy listening jazz on two

Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com ALAS, TYRANNY Locally based underground metal act with a progressive songwriting style.

KILL LEBARON This local act plays hardcore/screamo.

STYGIAN APOTHEGM Local fourpiece that creates heavy-ass stonermetal in leather pants, drawing on bands like Pantera and Opeth for ideas.

Club Chrome 9 p.m. $5. 706-543-9009 BACKWATER Classic and Southern rock covers with an attitude.

Farm 255 11 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com GRAPE SODA Local band featuring the brothers Lewis (Mat and Ryan), formerly of The Buddy System, on vocals, organ and drums, playing reverb-heavy garage psych-rock.

YA’AL HUSH New local hard psych band featuring members of Dark Meat, Chrissakes and Part Bear making noise on guitar, keys and oscillator.

Go Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar CLOAK AND DAGGER DATING SERVICE With melodies sewn throughout the hard-hitting rock, this Snellville six-piece offers male/ female vocals and a dark mood punctuated by intricate guitar solos.

DUSTY LIGHTSWITCH Described as “one of the most exciting and satisfying live bands in town” by our own Gordon Lamb, this revolving cast of local eccentrics delivers rock and roll with epic possibilites.

IMMUZIKATION Celebrated local DJ Alfredo Lapuz Jr. mashes up high-energy electro and rock. DJ set follows live music.

TENDABERRY Tendaberry brings its funky, soulful post-punk to Athens.

Think Rick James sitting in with Gang of Four.

The Melting Point 9 p.m. $7 (adv), $10 (door). www.meltingpointathens.com* HOLMAN AUTRY BAND Fans of Southern rock icons like Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers will love Holman Autry Band’s rowdy rock and roll.

New Earth Music Hall 10 p.m. $5. www.newearthmusichall. com G.L.O.W. “The biggest glow party in the South” welcomes DJ Tunes on the 1s and 2s. Glowsticks aplenty will be provided, along with other glowing props! Advance tickets available at www.boomfoundry.com/ store.

Nuçi’s Space 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. www.nuci.org/ dbt2010 BO BEDINGFIELD Singer and primary songwriter for local band The Wydelles, Bo Bedingfield’s smooth, warm vocals are steeped in all the soul of country music without the twang. Part of the official Drive-By Truckers Pre-Party!

OFFICIAL DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS PRE-PARTY AND AUCTION DBT fans, don’t miss this event! There will be tons of signed memorabilia and

Truckers-related photography and art up for auction, plus, a Gretsch guitar painted by Wes Freed and more! Live music from Bo Bedingfield.

The Office Lounge 8 p.m. FREE! 706-546-0840 KARAOKE Happy Birthday, Bambi!

Take the stage!

Rye Bar 8–10 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ ryebarathens JONNY CORNDAWG Off-kilter country flavored tongue-in-cheek ballads.

You might have caught Jonny last time he was in town, opening for Deer Tick. He’ll be joined by Carter King of Futurebirds. He’ll also playing at Tasty World Uptown on Jan. 19.

Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown 90 ACRE FARM This acoustic trio from Watkinsville plays original Americana and covers.

ANIMALS THAT WILL KILL YOUR ASS Rock and roll dance fighting.

ROLLIN’ HOME This band jams on originals with a Grateful Dead kind of groove and a Southern rock leaning.

Sunday 17 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 MUSIC HATES YOU High-energy and higher volume, Music Hates You plays a dirty kind of punk metal.

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

The Melting Point 7:30 p.m. $15 (adv), $18 (door). www. meltingpointathens.com MATT BRODEUR Feel good, acoustic-based alterna-pop from Dallas.

ELLIOTT YAMIN Vocal powerhouse and balladeer, Yamin was a finalist on season five of “American Idol.”

This show is open to all ages.

Sky City Lounge & Bulldog Cafe 706-380-7699 KARAOKE (468 North Ave.) Old School Social Sundays begin!

Square One Fish Co. Noon-3 p.m. FREE! www.squareonefishco.com SUNDAY JAZZ BRUNCH Rotating local jazz artists play Sunday afternoons on the patio.

Monday 18 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.

Flicker Theatre & Bar 9 p.m.–midnight. FREE! www.myspace. com/flickerbar KENOSHA KID One of Athens’ most prized and inventive jazz ensembles continues its month-long residency at Flicker, rehearsing new material for an upcoming release. Expect visual treats on the projection screen and inspiring work from guitarist Dan Nettles, bassist Neal Fountain and drummer Marlon Patton.

Soul Spectacular Sunday Ben’s Bikes This Sunday, venture out to the fringes of downtown and feed your soul with all the fixin’s.

Nate Mitchell is hosting his third dance party over at Ben’s Bikes, with DJ Mahogany and Kurt Wood behind the decks. Folks might remember grooving to ‘60s favorites at Mitchell’s “Sunday Night Flip-Out” parties at Secret Squirrel a few years back, but he says DJ Mahogany thought it would be cool to focus on Northern Soul for this series. “If you’re not familiar with the term,” explains DJ Mahogany, “Northern Soul is a movement of music that was created in the UK in the ‘60s by kids who found or rediscovered soul songs that were lost here in the U.S.” You can expect to hear some real underground gems and rarities you’ve probably never heard before.

If dancing in the basement of a bike shop seems strange to you, don’t be so quick to judge. With the help of visual-effects team Eye Gate, the space is totally transformed into a super funky, retro disco.

“What I appreciate most about [Eye Gate founder] Ray [Burg] and the Eye Gate crew is his totally ‘60s purist attitude,” says Mitchell. “None of that cheesy oil-lamp-boughtat-Spencer-Gifts stuff. The psychedelic lightshow is something that everyone recognizes from the ‘60s era, but there is surprisingly little information out there about how to create an authentic-looking one. It is a true art form that requires a lot of preparation and dedication to finding the right kind of equipment and materials.”

In keeping with the soul theme, Mitchell promises to cook up some soul food, utilizing the skills he picked up working at Five Star Day Café. Attendees at the last Spectacular are still drooling over Kurt Wood’s collard greens as well, so here’s hoping for a second serving. This multi-media extravaganza is totally free, and the music starts at 9 p.m. Start 2010 off right! With soul! [Michelle Gilzenrat]

Go Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar BETSY FRANCK Soulful, brassy Southern rock and country songs rooted in tradition, but with a modern sensibility.

Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown BRYAN BLAYLOCK This Dallas troubadour serenades audiences with his acoustic stylings.

RYE No info available.

Tuesday 19 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.

Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com L BROWN ODYSSEY Adeventurous rock band from Charleston that bounces all over the place—from Waits-inspired ballads to bounding, alternative rock anthems.

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

STILL SMALL VOICE AND THE JOYFUL NOISE A revolving lineup of family and friends pounding out garage-rock spirituals.

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

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

The Melting Point 7 p.m. $3. www.meltingpointathens. com STRING THEORY CD release show!

Amazing bluegrass act influenced by such diverse artists as Bill Monroe, Del McCoury Band, Townes VanZandt, Thom Hervey, Steve Earle, Talking Heads, Emmylou Harris, Old Crow Medicine Show and more.

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

Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. $3. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown FUTUREBIRDS Local folk-rock collective with a tattered, raspy edge.

This is first show of the band’s residency at Tasty World—Futurebirds will be playing every other Tuesday until Mardi Gras.

JONNY CORNDAWG Off-kilter country flavored tongue-in-cheek ballads.

You might have caught Jonny last time he was in town, opening for Deer Tick.

Wednesday 20 40 Watt Club 9 p.m. $6. www.40watt.com THE INTERNS Local band that shares several members with Futurebirds.

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

MOONLIGHT BRIDE Danceable electro indie rock from Chattanooga that’s a little Stellstarr* and a little Arcade Fire–dark, atmosphic and well-crafted.

THU. FEB. 11

Mike Landers

Sunday, January 17

FRI. FEB. 12 SAT. FEB. 13

FRI. FEB. 19

THU. JAN. 14

FRI. JAN. 15

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WED. MAR. 3

SAT. JAN. 16

SAT. MAR. 27

WED. JAN. 20

THU. APR. 8

THU. JAN. 21

THU. JAN. 28 MON. FEB. 1 THU. FEB. 4 FRI. FEB. 5

FRI. APR. 9

SAT. APR. 10

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THU. FRI. APR. APR. 22 23 SAT. APR. 24

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Flicker Theatre & Bar 11:30 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ flickerbar JESS MARSTON Singer/guitarist from local rock band Romanenko.

The Globe 10 p.m. FREE! 706-353-4721 GEORGE W. BUSH COVER BAND Reunion show! Honoring the anniversary of W’s final momnts in office. Do not ‘misunderestimate’ this band featuring Dave Spivey, Brent Hedrick, Matt Giordano and lyrics penned by our former president.

The Melting Point 9 p.m. $35 (adv), $40 (door). www. meltingpointathens.com LEO KOTTKE Athens-born guitar virtuoso known for his innovative fingerpicking and syncopated, polphonic melodies.

New Earth Music Hall Midnight. $5. www.newearthmusichall. com JAZZCHRONIC Local five-piece band that explores freaky, funky, psychedelic fusion jazz while incorporating rock, R&B, heavy beats and more.

After the LowDown Comedy Show.

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

Wednesday January 27 at 7:30 p.m.

Call, click or stop by the Box Office 706.357.4444 • www.ClassicCenter.com 300 N. Thomas St. • Downtown Athens Productions in the Broadway Entertainment Series are made possible by our sponsors:

®

* Advance Tickets Available

JANUARY 13, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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bulletin board DO SOMETHING; GET INVOLVED! Deadline for getting listed in Bulletin Board and Art Around Town is every THURSDAY at 12 p.m.

Email calendar@flagpole.com. Listings are printed based on available space, more listings are online.

ART Call for Artists (Various Locations) Mental Health America of Northeast Georgia is currently seeking donated art for the 20th Annual Mental Health Benefit which runs Jan. 24–30. 770-633-3513, 706549-7888, www.fightthestigma.com Call for Artists (Athens Area Habitat for Humanity) “Home Is Where the Heart Is,” an annual art auction benefitting the Women Build Program of Athens Area Habitat for Humanity, is seeking submissions for its Feb. 18 event. Deadline for submission is Feb. 10. 706-2081001, laura@athenshabitat.com Call for Submissions (Lyndon House) 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.). The competition is open to Athens area artists working in all visual media. $20 submission fee (up to 3 works)706-613-3623, www.accleisureservices.com

AUDITIONS The Penny Stock Opera (Various Locations) The Young Actors Studio will be holding auditions for this musical comedy parodying Broadway and the stock market, which will be presented in April. Open to ages 7 and up (or early readers). Feb. 8, 6:30–8:30 p.m.

(ACC Library). Feb 9, 6:30–8:30 p.m. (UGA Park Hall). www.youngactorsstudio.googlepages.com

CLASSES 12 Weeks to Total Wellness (St. Mary’s Wellness Center) St.

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Mary’s registered dietitians offer a new health and wellness program with a focus on nutrition. Thursdays, 3–4 p.m. $100/program, $10/class.

706-389-3355 Abrakadoodle Art Classes (Rocksprings Neighborhood Center) With the holiday season at its close, it’s time for many households to redecorate their refrigerators. Junior artists are invited to create unique masterpieces in various media. Fee covers four sessions and all materials. For kids ages 3–5 years. Jan. 25 & Feb. 1, 9 & 16, 1–2 p.m. $20.

706-613-3603, www.accleisureservices.com 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 Back Care Yoga (Mind Body Institute) Fight chronic back pain with yoga! Thursdays, 6–8 p.m.

706-475-7329, www.armc.org/mbi Beginning Bellydance for Fitness (YWCO) Have fun and exercise at the same time with this incredible dance form. Tuesdays, noon–1 p.m. Wednesdays, 6–7 p.m.

706-354-7880, natakiya@gmail.com Beginning to Intermediate Pottery (Lyndon House Arts Center) Develop wheelthrowing, glazing and decorating techniques while you make your own unique stoneware! Jan. 14–Feb. 18, 706613-3623, www.accleisureservices. com Body, Mind & Spirit (Body, Mind & Spirit Ministries) Offering a wide range of self-improvement and spiritual classes and workshops.

Full schedule online. 706-351-6024, www.bodymindandspiritofathens. com

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 13, 2010

Bouldering (Active Climbing) Come and learn to climb without ropes at Athens’ new climbing center! Wednesdays, 5:30–6:30 p.m. $15. 706-354-0038, adrian@activeclimbing.com Classical Pilates (StudiO) Private instruction and group classes offered daily! Schedule online. 678-596-2956, www.studioinathens.com Clay Classes (Good Dirt) Weekly “Try Clay” class every Friday from 7–9 p.m. and “Family Try Clay” every Sunday from 2–4 p.m. ($20/ person). 706-355-3161, www.gooddirt.net Clay Workshops and Winter Classes (Good Dirt) Now registering for winter clay classes and kids’ out-of-school clay workshops!

See full schedule online. 706-3553161, www.gooddirt.net Climbing for Beginners (Active Climbing) Learn the ropes and develop climbing technique at Athens’ new climbing center.

Mondays, 5:30–7 p.m. 706-3540038, adrian@activeclimbing.com Computer Class (ACC Library, Educational Technology Center) Two-part introduction to computers.

Must attend both sessions. Call to register. Jan. 13 & 14, 10–11:30 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 Computer Class (ACC Library, Education Technology Center) Introduction to Power Point. Call to register. Jan. 28, 10–11:30 a.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 Computer Classes (ACC Library, Educational Technology Center) Introduction to Word. Call to register. Jan. 26, 10–11:30 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 Dance Center Winter Classes (East Athens Educational Dance Center) Registering for adult and children’s classes including

Rebecca Brantley’s paintings are on display at the ACC Library through January.

Beginning Jazz, Ballet, Tap, HipHop, Praise Dancing and more. $18–$25. www.accleisureservices. com/dance.shtml Eastern Religions and Philosophy (Rubber Soul Yoga Revolution Studio) Learn the core values and historical markers of Eastern philosophies and religions in this meditative course with instructor Kai Riedl. Sundays, 5:30–6:45 p.m. $5 (suggested donation). www.rubbersoulyoga.com Ecstatic Dance (Vastu School of Yoga) The Athens Kirtan Collective hosts an evening of meditation through dance and movement.

Fridays, 7–9 p.m. 561-723-6172, vastuyoga@hotmail.com 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 Arts Center) 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. 706613-3623, www.accleisureservices. com Family Yoga (Mind Body Institute) Offering instruction for kids in grades K–5 when accompanied by an adult. Call ahead. Sundays, Jan. 24–Feb. 21, 3–4 p.m. $50/5 classes. 706-475-7329, www.armc. org/mbi Fitness Fusion (Healing Arts Centre) Belly dancing infused with yoga and Pilates wisdom. Mondays, 7:30. 706-613-1143 Gentle Yoga (St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church) Bring your own mat or towel and wear loose clothing. Julie Horne, instructor.

Tuesdays, 5:30 – 7 p.m. $9/class.

706-354-1996 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@activeclimbing.com Getting Started with Genealogy (ACC Library) Genealogy for beginners. In the Heritage Room. Jan. 21, 2–4:30 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 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.canopystudio.com “How to Properly Price Your Art” (ACC Library) Retired banker, finance and marketing man Lee Nelson wants to teach you how to price and market your work in any medium. Feb. 6, 10–11:30 a.m. $20.

706-486-6808, www.artbiz.biz Introduction to Life Drawing (Fringe Collective Artistic Studios) Instructed classes for artists 18 and up. Call to reserve a space. Sundays, 2–4 p.m. 706540-2727 Kids Yoga (Vastu School of Yoga) Children derive enormous benefits from many easy and fun poses.

Tuesdays, 3:30–4:30 p.m. 561-7236172, vastuyoga@hotmail.com Laugh-a-Yoga (Mind Body Institute) Laugh your stress away.

Jan. 22, 5:30–6:30 p.m. $5. 706475-7329, mbiprograms@armc.org Life Drawing Open Studio (Fringe Collective Artistic Studios) Bring any supplies/equipment that you may require. Ages 18 and up.

Call to reserve a space. Thursdays, 6–8:15 p.m. 706-540-2727 Mama-Baby Yoga (Mind Body Institute) For mamas and their babies. Six weeks old to crawlers.

Every Wednesday. 10:30 a.m. $60/6 classes. 706-475-7329, mbiprograms@armc.org Mama-Baby Yoga (Five Points Yoga) For babies 1–8 months old and their grown-ups. Fussy babies and tired mamas welcome. Every Monday. 11 a.m. $10. 706-3553114, 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 Manuscript Swap Shop (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation) Tuesday Writers and the Southern Breeze Region of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators will sponsor a workshop for writers of children’s fiction and nonfiction. Local young adult fiction writer Donny Seagraves will speak, and attendees will have the opportunity to get their manuscripts critiqued. Jan. 23, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.

706-546-0692 Meditation (Vastu School of Yoga, Chase Park Warehouse) Begin every day with relaxing meditation. 6–7

a.m. FREE! 561-723-6172, vastuyoga@hotmail.com Meditative Yoga (YWCO) Easy Meditative Yoga for Every Body.

Drop-ins welcome. Mondays and Thursdays, noon; Wednesdays, 7 p.m. $7 (non-members). 706-3547880, www.iriseabove.com Mind Your Muscles (Athens Community Council on Aging) Bring your muscles into focus with a combination of tai chi, yoga and Pilates! Fridays, 3–4 p.m. $5/class.

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

Registration required. Through Jan. 22, weekdays, 5:45–6:45 a.m. $135/2 weeks, $96/any 6 classes.

706-355-3113, www.athensfivepointsyoga.com Native Plant Symposium 2009 (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Day-long program that looks at native plants and related landscape issues. Includes box lunch.

Registration required. Jan. 20, 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. $50. 706-542-6359, www.uga.edu/botgarden 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 OCAF’s Art Classes (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation) Now accepting registration for winter and spring classes. Sign up for kids’ pottery and poetry classes, adults’ classes in folk art, book-making, oil painting, floral arranging and many more. Full schedule online. 706769-4565, 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 apparatus classes available! Full schedule and information about private lessons online. 706-546-1061, www.balancepilatesathens.com Prenatal Yoga (Full Bloom Center) Get ready for birth and beyond. Every Thursday. 5:30 p.m. $14/class or $60/6 classes. 706-

353-3373, www.fullbloomparent. com Solar Water Heating Installer Certification (Power Partners, Newton Bridge Rd.) Full day of instruction on how to install the Power Partners Solar Water Heating System. Includes a handson mock system installation. Lunch provided. Jan. 21. $450. 706-3697938, www.completeresources.net Survival Spanish (ACC Library) Instruction in basic Spanish vocabulary and conversation. For ages 18 and up. Now registering! Sundays, 4–5 p.m. 706-613-3650 Tae Kwon Do & Jodo Classes (Live Oak Martial Arts, Chase Street Warehouses) For kids and adults, beginner through advanced.

Mondays–Thursdays, 3:30-8:30 p.m. 706-548-0077, www.liveoakmartialarts.com Target Training for Ladies (St. Mary’s Wellness Center) Intense exercise class for women who want maximum fitness results. Runs through Jan. 31. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6–7 a.m. $75. 706389-3355 Tech Tips: Wikipedia (ACC Library) Learn how to use and to responsibly contribute to the encyclopedia anyone can edit. Jan. 19, 12:15–1:15 p.m. FREE! 706613-3650 Teen Yoga (Vastu School of Yoga) Aside from the physical benefits, yoga teaches teens techniques for coping with the unique challenges of adolescence. Thursdays, 6–7 p.m. 561-723-6172, vastuyoga@ hotmail.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. Classes run Jan. 13–Feb. 17, Wednesdays, 10–11 a.m. 706-613-3623, www. accleisureservices.com

Tutoring Workshop (H.T. Edwards Building) Dr. Jackie Saindon and Dr. Michele Simpson lead a free workshop: Tutoring the Pre-GED Adult Learner: Reading Techniques. Register by Jan. 20.

Jan. 23, 9 a.m–noon. 706-357-5239 Winter Classes (Sangha Yoga Studio, Healing Arts Center) Now registering for Bootycamp, Egyptian Bellydancing, Pilates and various yoga methods to suit your lifestyle.

See full schedule online! 706-6131143, www.healingartscenter.com Yoga Classes (Om Town Yoga, 190 Park Avenue) Iyengar certified Yoga instruction for balance, strength, flexibility and stamina.

Mondays, 6:15 p.m. Wednesdays, 5:45 p.m. $10/drop-in. www.athensomtownyoga.com Yoga for Healthy Backs (Vastu School of Yoga) If you are one of the millions of people suffering from back pain, yoga may bring you some relief. Mondays, 4:30–5:30 p.m. 561-723-6172, vastuyoga@ hotmail.com Yoga Teacher Training (Vastu School of Yoga, Chase Park Warehouse) Learn to teach yoga in this 10-week workshop beginning in February! Register by Jan. 15th for tuition discount. 561-723-6172, vastuyoga@hotmail.com Yoga XL for the Larger Body (Vastu School of Yoga) Plus-size yoga adapts the traditional postures, or asanas, to accomodate your curves. Thursdays, 4:30–5 p.m.

561-723-6172, vastuyoga@hotmail. com Yoga, Tai Chi and Mindfulness Classes (Mind Body Institute) Experienced and highly educated instructors offer a wide variety of basic and specialty classes throughout the day. 706475-7329, www.armc.org/mbi Zumba at the Garden (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves comprise this dynamic fitness program. Wednesday evenings, through Feb. 24. 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. $10/ class, $60/session. www.uga.edu/ botgarden

ART AROUND TOWN ACC Library (Top of the Stairs Gallery) Paintings by Rebecca Brantley. Through January.

Athens Academy (Myers Gallery) The Art Teachers Invitational Show features the work of over 20 local teachers. Through Feb. 12. Reception Jan. 14.

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.

Aurum Studio (125 East Clayton St.) Paintings

by Christine Shockley-Gholson and John Gholson.

Through February.

Ciné Barcafé (234 W. Hancock Ave.) “Soundtrack to Nothing,” a collection of photographs by Christy Bush Fogarino documenting teenagers at rock concerts. Through Jan. 15.

Flicker Theatre & Bar (263 W. Washington St.) Paintings by Andrew Cayce. Through Feb. 1.

Reception Jan. 28.

Just Pho…and More (1063 Baxter St.) Orchids and wildlife paintings by Sutawee N. Thitaram.

Through Jan. 30.

Lamar Dodd School of Art (Gallery 101) Large-scale acrylic paintings from the New York studio of longtime Lamar Dodd School of Art faculty member Jim Herbert.

Last Resort Grill (184 W. Clayton St.) Paintings

by Andy Cherewick. Through January.

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

Through Jan. 20.

Madison-Morgan Cultural Center (434 S. Main St., Madison) In his exhibit “From the Forest to

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 CASA Volunteer Orientation (CASA) Athens-Oconee CourtAppointed Special Advocates is holding orientation for those interested in advocating for abused and neglected children. Jan. 19, 6 – 7:30 p.m. 706-613-1922, www.athensoconeecasa.org Foster an Animal Victim of Domestic Violence (Various Locations) Ahimsa House needs foster homes to shelter pets from abusive situations. 404-496-4038 ext. 713, foster@ahimsahouse.org Give a Day. Get a Disney Day. (Various Locations) Exchange a day of volunteer service for a free ticket to Disneyland or Disney World! Get involved with Athens Area Habitat for Humanity or other participating organizations. www.athenshabitat.com 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 Volunteer Opportunities (ACC Library) Learn about the various ways you can give back to your community by volunteering your time at the ACC Library. 706-6133650, www.clarke.public.lib.ga.us/ arls/support/index.html

KIDSTUFF Fantastic Fridays (Bishop Park) Obstacle courses and other activities in an unstructured environment.

Drop in any time. Ages 10 months–4 years. Fridays, 9 a.m.–noon. $12/ day. 706-613-3589 GEN Homeschool Club (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Garden Earth Naturalist Club for

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.

Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation (34 School Street, Watkinsville) “Tutorial: Artworks by OCAF Art Instructors,” an exhibit showcasing the diversity of the Oconee Cultural Art Foundation’s instructors and their unique visions of art. Through Jan. 28. Reception Jan. 22.

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

State Botanical Garden of Georgia (2450 S. Milledge) Larger-than-life blooms emerge in Jamie Kirkell’s silk batik fabric art. Through February.

Reception Jan. 17.

Strand Hair Salon (1625 S. Lumpkin St.) An exhibit by photographer Beth Thompson features fractal and kaleidescopic photography of some familiar greenspaces around Athens and beyond. Through January.

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 Hiawassee Ave.) “Morning Gravy, 2010” an exhibit featuring photography by brothers Hudson and Rand Lines. Through January.

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, through Feb. 24, 9–11 a.m. $44. 706-542-6156 Red Cross Babysitting Course (Memorial Park) A Red Cross certified instructor will guide participants through the basic leadership, safety and supervisory skills needed to babysit. Register

by Jan. 21. Ages 11–15. Jan. 30, 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. $30. 706-613-3580 Spanish Mommy and Me Classes (Email for Location) Learn Spanish with your preschooler through songs, stories and games!

New session starting soon. sehlers@uga.edu Spring Break Art Break (Lyndon House Arts Center) Children ages 6-12 will enjoy art activities, including art exploration with a guest artist and the creation of their own artwork. Registration begins Jan. 23. April 9 & 11. $50 (materials included), scholarships available. 706-613-3623, www.accleisureservices.com.

Story Tubes Contest (ACC Library) Kids, make a video about your favorite book and win great prizes! Talk to your librarian about submitting your video before Feb. 22 or go online for more information.

706-613-3650, http://storytubes. info/drupal/ UNschool Storytime, Crafts and Open House (Freedom to Grow Unschool, 135 N. Peter Street) Learn about this innovative “unschool” for preschool to upper elementary students. Wear your painting clothes! Jan. 30, 2–4:30 p.m. 478-718-1414, www.freedomtogrowunschool@yahoo.com 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

Celebrating Our

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20% OFF ALL PRODUCTS DEBIT

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TATTOO CO.

364 E. Broad St. Athens, Ga. (706)369-9424

One block east of the arch. Above Sideways Bar.

S A L A D S

SUPPORT Domestic Violence Support Group (Call for location) Dinner begins at 6 p.m. and group at 6:30 p.m. Children are welcome for supper and childcare is provided during group. Call Project Safe hotline at 706-543-3331 for location. 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month in Clarke County. 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month in Madison County. 6–8 p.m.

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.

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

M

ON THE STREET GED Scholarships (Email for Location) The Athens-Clarke Literacy Council is now accepting applications for scholarships for financially needy students who are preparing to take the GED examination. 706-2549877, www.athensliteracy.org Nutrition Consultations (St. Mary’s Wellness Center) Meet with a registered dietitian to find a diet that is right for you! One-hour individual consultations available by appoinment. 706-389-3355 f

156-A College Ave. • Athens, GA • (706) 546-7288

Wi-Fi Available

JANUARY 13, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

29

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.

30

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 13, 2010

reality check Matters Of The Heart And Loins I have a general question for you. I have a specific situation I am in the midst of.

However, I cannot list specific details because of the risk of them being identified upon publication.

Is it ever okay to bone a guy (or girl for that matter) if you know that person is in a relationship?

I’ll try to give you SOME information. I’m being intentionally vague. I do hope you’ll be able to offer some guidance, though.

I met a guy at his place of employment recently. We have been communicating since.

He is quite fascinating.

I have seen him a few times (at his place of work and outside).

I am aware he has a girlfriend. He has been 100 percent honest with me the entire time. I am not delusional enough to think he will leave his girlfriend for me, nor do I want him to. In fact, I often seduce men for sport. I just have the urge to f@*# his brains out and leave him dehydrated from a lack of bodily fluids. Once, twice, perhaps repeatedly until I graduate. Nothing permanent or exclusive. He has also expressed an interest of a sexual nature in me, as well as seeking a friendship.

Just wanted to check what circle of hell I’ll be condemned to for this behavior is all. (I have not currently slept with him. But I do fear it’s in the cards.) I have never crossed this line before. Does it make it any less damning if I am not the one in the relationship?

Jeepers Peepers Your attitude sucks, JP. You talk about this like it’s all happening without your consent— like you have no control over the sexual destiny that is you and this douchebag.

The whole “It’s not my relationship” thing is such a bullshit cop-out that it makes me sick. Which circle are you damned to? If there’s any justice in the universe, JP, then you’ll be banished to the circle where you actually do fall for a guy and he cheats on you with a silly little girl like you who doesn’t even care about him. Remember, karma is a way bigger bitch than I am.

So, I have been dating my fella for a year now, and it’s still puppy love. “Gross” is what I would’ve said a year ago if I saw a couple like us. We try to balance time with friends and time to ourselves, but since we have opposite work schedules (9–5 vs. 5–12) our free time is usually spent together. We are very open and honest with each other, and I could see myself moving in with him. He is a very good roommate as far as I can see, and our relationship is pretty serious (the family loves me). We’ve talked about living together in the future but further down the road.

So, I’m currently in a big anonymous city ( I miss A-town) where the rent is high and cheap

apartments are like hard-to-find gems. I’m in a diamond in the rough, but my roommates are making it feel like a frat house: weekly poker nights, beer cans all over, streaking the street and, most recently, breaking one of our windows! They are too old to be acting like this, but I only see it getting worse and I can’t kick them out. I don’t want this to be the reason I move in with my boyfriend. What if we are not ready? It’s not like there is a certain timeline to go by but it’s pretty much one step away from marriage… it could make or break us. What advice can you give to cure cold feet?

Chilly Toes

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Just go for it, CT. You’ve been together for a year, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t take the next step.

You’re doing fine together now, you’re talking about the future anyway, and your current situation is making you miserable. Don’t think of it as a situation you were forced into. Think of it as the universe trying to tell you something. If it doesn’t feel right, and you realize that you weren’t ready, you can always move out.

So, my boyfriend and I broke up so that he could go back to his ex-girlfriend—despite the fact that she completely stomped all over him and made him miserable, and he swore he would never go back to her. I’m still in love with him despite the fact that he did this to me, and despite the fact that my friends say we would have “dragon babies” if we stayed together. We still talk a couple of times a week, and sometimes it seems like he regrets having broken up. We both made mistakes in the relationship; he’s sorry it didn’t work etc…

What should I do? Is there a better way to tell him I think he’s making a mistake and that I’m still here for him? Or should I burn all my bridges and try to move on?

Hopeful Only you can decide whether or not getting back together with him is worth the risk. You seem to have a realistic view of your relationship and the problems you had, which will make it easier not to repeat them.

I’m inclined to think honesty is the best policy, and that having a real talk with the guy will give you the answer you’re looking for. Sit him down somewhere and have the whole thing out. Tell him how you feel, ask him how he feels, and if you’re still willing to give it another chance, then offer it to him. Don’t do this over the phone because you won’t be able to gauge his real reaction, and if he isn’t receptive, then you need to walk away from him. No more phone calls and no more friendship. It’s either on or it’s off. If not, you’ll never move on and you’ll never find anyone else.

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

JANUARY 13, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

31

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 $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/1BA. All electric. Nice apt.

Water provided. On busline.

Single preferred. Avail. now!

(706) 543-4271.

1, 2 & 3BR apts! Move before January 15th & get Jan. rent free! Move after & get Feb. rent 1/2 off! Now pre–leasing for summer and fall 2010.

Move in for $99.00! Huge apts, on busline, pet friendly, recycling on site! Call us (706) 549-6254. Restrictions apply.

1 & 2BR apts. All electric. W/D conn., lg. backyds., carports, close to campus & 5 Pts. Pet friendly. Rent ranging from $450–$575/mo. (706) 424-0770.

2BR/1BA. Apts avail. 125 Honeysuckle Lane off Broad St. across from King Ave. On busline. GRFA welcomed. Water & trash incl. Central location.

Lease, deposit, references required. $450/mo. (706) 2276000 or (706) 461-2349.

2BR/2BA on College Station.

Huge apartment, FP, deck, lots of closets, DW, W/D, CHAC. Avail. now. Pets OK. $575/mo. (706) 369-2908.

2BR/1BA renovated apt. $625/ mo. HWflrs., DW, on–site laundry. Walk to campus! Call C. Hamilton & Assoc., Inc. (706) 613-9001.

2BR/2BA. Prefer professionals, grad students. CHAC, furnished. New construction, safe & quiet. Total electric. 6 mo., school term or 1 year lease avail. $775/mo. (706) 206-3345.

flagpole classifieds Reach Over 30,000 Readers Every Week!

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2BR/2BA apt in East Athens.

Partially furnished. Big kitchen, deck. $600/mo. (706) 614-6947.

2BR/2BA. $700/mo. January rent free! Spacious apt. w/ W/D. Pet friendly, close to campus. Call C. Hamilton & Assoc., Inc. (706) 613-9001.

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.

2 Duplex apts each suitable for 1 person or a couple. Avail. now on Oconee Street near Dwntn. Both in converted 1890s house, big porch, & backyard, all appls, some furnishings, pet friendly. Each unit is 1BR/1BA & in excellent condition. $499/ mo. Call Drew at (706) 2022712 or email drewclimber@ yahoo.com.



2BR/1BA newly renovated apt. in ARMC area. Close to Dwntn. Avail. now. Perfect for family & professionals. Central heat/AC, off–street parking.

Safe quiet neighborhood.

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

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.

Available January. Spacious 2BR Dwntn apts. 3 blocks from N. campus. Out of bar scene. Close to everything. Call George (706) 340-0987.

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PLACE AN AD • At flagpole.com, pay with credit card or PayPal account • Call our Classifieds Dept. (706) 549-0301 • Email us at class@flagpole.com

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32

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 13, 2010

All Include Washer/Dryer & Fireplace Pool on-site!

Call Today for Move-In Specials

Hamilton & Associates

706-613-9001 www.athens-ga-rental.com

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.

4BR/3BA Townhouse. Lg. Family Rm., Great Condition, W/D Conn., Cable, Sec. Sys., 10 min. to UGA, Available Now. 273 Westchester Circle. $800/ mo. Owner/Agent, Call Mike (706) 207-7400.

ARMC/Normaltown Area.

Only $450/mo! 1BR/1BA. Next door to ARMC & Navy School. 1 mi. to Dwntn. Avail.

Immediately or prelease for Fall. (706) 788-2152 or email thomas2785@aol.com.

Downtown Apartments.

4BR/2BA. Fully updated. New kitchen. W/D, Deck. Won’t last long, rents fast! Call Stacy at (706) 425-4048.

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.

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) 4254048 or (706) 296-1863.

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.

Westside condos.

2BR/2BA, $600/mo. Eastside quadraplex 2BR/2BA, $525/mo. 2BR/1BA, $490/mo.

Eastside duplex 2BR/1BA, FP, $490/mo.3BR/2BA, FP, $650/mo., corner lot. Call McWaters Realty, (706) 549-3222, (706) 353-2700 or cell (706) 540-1529.

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.

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.

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.

Rivers Edge. 2BR/2BA totally remodeled. On the busline.

Pool, tennis courts,1200+ sq. ft., screened porch. $600/mo, $600/dep. Avail. now! Call (864) 617-3317.

Commercial Property $100–$150 Studio spaces.

Great location, cool spaces.

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

195 Park Ave. $750/mo.3 lg. offices, common area w/ kitchen. Currently used as wellness center. Great location, great n’hood. Contact or call today (706) 5489797, boulevard​p roperty​ management.com.

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706-549-7371



5 K sq . f t . Bu i l d i n g / Warehouse for sale or lease in Lexington, GA. $1K/mo. or $120K. 111, 113 & 115 E. Main St. Call Diego (706) 6211035 or Ken (706) 614-8295.

More info: www.kpsurplus.com/ products/view/26554.

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) 621-1035 or Ken (706) 614-8295. More info: http:// www.kpsurplus.com/products/ view/26553.

Athens Executive Suites.

Offices avail. in historic Dwntn bldg. w/ on–site parking. All utils., Internet, & janitorial incl.

Single or multiple offices avail.

Call Stacy (706) 425-4048 or (706) 296-1863.



7500 sq. ft. Building/ Warehouse for sale or lease in Winterville, GA. $3500/ mo. or $420K. 1459 Hargrove Lake Rd. On 6 acres zoned B1 in Oglethorpe Co. Call Diego (706) 621-1035 or Ken (706) 614-8295. More info: http:// www.kpsurplus.com/products/ view/25214.



Amazing Office Spaces for lease above Dwntn Five Guys restaurant.

Sign a 1 Year Lease and Receive the 1st Month Free or 12% off!! Call Reign at Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty (706) 372-4166, or (706) 543-4000.



Dwntn Restaurant avail. now for lease. Kitchen equip w/ walk–in cooler & vent hood. Located at 275 E. Clayton St. For more info. or to schedule a showing pls call Mary at Parker & Associates (706) 546-0600 or email mary@ parkerandassociates.com.

Eastside Offices. 1060 Gaines School Rd. Rent: 1200 sq. ft. $1200/mo., 450 sq. ft., $600/mo. 170 sq. ft., $375/ mo. (706) 546-1615 or www. athenstownproperties.com.

Great business opportunity in Bowman. 1800 sq. ft. bldg. for $650/mo., 575 sq. ft. bldg. for $450/mo. Retail office, hair studio, etc. Great traffic. (706) 498-4733.

Historic Downtown Building. 3200 sq. ft.

Ample onsite parking.

Office/Commercial. Contact Stacy (706) 425-4048.

Leathers Building. Retail/ Office/Commercial. 1100 sq. ft.

Front & rear entrance. $1400/ mo. All inclusive. Call Stacy at (706) 425-4048.

Office. Prince across from Navy School. 1250 sq. ft. $850/ mo. Excellent condition. Hank Joiner, Joiner and Associates (706) 549-7371 or (706) 540-0725.

Paint Artist Studio. Historic Blvd area. Artist Community.

160 Tracy St. Rent: 400 sq. ft., $200/mo. 300 sq. ft., $150/ mo. (706) 546-1615 or www. athenstownproperties.com.

Retail Suites for lease at Homewood Village.

1K–12,500 sq. ft. avail. For more info call Bryan Austin at (706) 353-1039 or visit www. sumnerproperties.net.

Duplexes For Rent 2BR/1BA Eastside duplex. W/D, FP. Convenient to shopping, busline, & campus. $475/mo. + dep. Pets welcome. Call Jeff (706) 338-2985 or Shelly (706) 338-4948.

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

Near UGA, Memorial Park & B i rc h m o re Tr a i l . W / D , DW, CHAC, FP. Avail now. $650/mo. Call April (706) 549-5006, go to www. athenscondosales.com.

2BR/1.5BA East Athens Duplex. Fresh paint, W/D, DW, range, fridge, trash & yard service incl. Pets OK. Avail. 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 $925/mo. 3BR/2BA, office, d i n i n g ro o m , re m o d e l e d , 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. $350–$2500/mo. 1BR, 2BR, 3BR, 4BR, & 5BR. Awesome walk & bike to campus & town!

Pre–leasing for Fall! Many historical houses w/ lg. rms, high ceilings, big windows, HWflrs, old–world char m, modern amenities. Porches, & yds. Pet friendly. These go fast!

Email for list: luckydawg96@ yahoo.com. $600/mo. 2BR/1BA house. 15 min.’s from UGA & Athens Tech in Hull. Huge yd., private lot.

Pets OK. $350/dep. req’d. Call Joni at (706) 202-4225 for more info. $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. $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.



$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.

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.

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

2BR/1BA, 15 mins from Dwntn & UGA. Lg. lot in quiet country area. CHAC & W/D incl. NS, no cats. $500/mo, w/ $250 dep.

Call Mike at (706) 310-9424.

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.

2 Duplex apts each suitable for 1 person or a couple. Avail. now on Oconee Street near Dwntn. Both in converted 1890s house, big porch, & backyard, all appls, some furnishings, pet friendly. Each unit is 1BR/1BA & in excellent condition. $499/ mo. Call Drew at (706) 2022712 or email drewclimber@ yahoo.com.

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 duplexes starting at $450/ mo. Pls. call (706) 549-6070.

3BR/2BA. Preleasing. CHAC, W/D, DW, fenced yd., sec. sys., close to Dwntn & UGA. $825/ mo. Call/text (706) 714-4486, email hathawayproperties@ gmail.com.

3BR/1BA. Preleasing.

Blvd area. CHAC, W/D, DW, HWflrs., porch. $750/mo.

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

3BR/1BA in 5 Pts. 176 Habersham Dr. Avail. now!

Pets OK. W/D & CHAC incl. $800/mo. Call Calvin (404) 597-6056.

3BR/1BA. Preleasing. Next to Big City Bread. CHAC, W/D, DW, fenced yd., sec. sys. $750/ mo. Call/text (706) 714-4486, email hathawayproperties@ gmail.com.

3BR/2BA. Preleasing.

5 P t s . C H A C , W / D , D W, fenced yd., deck. $450/ BR. Call/text (706) 714-4486, email hathawayproperties@ gmail.com.

4BR/2BA. Preleasing. Close to campus. CHAC, W/D, DW, fenced yd., sec. sys. $1400/ mo. Call/text (706) 714-4486, email hathawayproperties@ gmail.com.

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.

4BR/3BA cottage. Kitchen w/ island & all appls. incl.

DW. Pets OK. Internet avail. $1150/mo. Approx. 1 mi. from campus/Eastside/Dwntn.

Short-term lease avail. RE/MAX realtor Michelle Watson (706) 614-6947.

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.

5BR/2BA. Preleasing.

5Pts. $475/BR. CHAC, W/D, DW. 1 block to campus!

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

Available now! 2BR/1BA brick house w/ study rm.

Great Westside location near Beechwood shopping. All new flooring, paint, roof & HVAC. All appls, DW, W/D, range, fridge. $750/mo. No pets. Pls. call Katy (706) 714-8466.

Best rentals in Athens!

1–5BR houses, apts., condos.

In the heart of UGA/Dwntn/5 Pts. Avail. Aug. Going fast, call today! (706) 3692908 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.



Cute cottage in the country. 15 min. to UGA & Athens. 1BR/1BR. All appls.

Laundry hookups. $485/mo.

Call (706) 788-2988 or (706) 540-8029.

Private 2BR/1BA cottage.

Organic gardens, fenced, busline, bike to Dwntn. CHAC, HWflrs. Resident inside/ outside cat. Dogs negotiable.

Responsible single or couple only! $650/mo. Discount for cat care/gardening. Avail. Feb. (706) 224-8773 or gypsymr@ yahoo.com.

Houses for Sale 1 1 5 H i g h t . Wa t k i n s v i l l e , Ga. $123,889. 3BR/1.5BA. Completely renovated! Call Reign at Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty (706) 5434000, or (706) 372-4166.

135 Pineforest. $139,900.

3BR/2BA in Forest Heights.

Call Reign at Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty (706) 5434000 (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.

3BR/2.5BA. 2–car garage.

2–story, fully updated. 1 acre of land. 1600 sq. ft. New carpet, fully landscaped.

Ready to move in. Eastside, Winterville area. 7090 Hickory Dr. $139,900. Taking all offers.

(706) 742-5082.

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.

Downtown Condo.

1BR/1BA in University Tower.

Approx 720 sq. ft. Across Broad St. from north campus, great view. $89K. Go to www. homesbyowner.com/58149.

Call (706) 255-3743.

Free Foreclosure Listings. Over 400K properties nationwide.

Low down payment. Call now.

(800) 817-5290 (AAN CAN).

Pre-Leasing

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

2BR/1BA in 5 Pts. Great for Grad Students. Close to campus. W/D, DW, CHAC, Pets OK. Avail. 8/1. $700/mo.

(706) 396-2908.

First month free! 2–3BRs in quiet setting, off the beaten path. Sec. sys. incl. W/D, D W, p r i v. d e c k . M e n t i o n this ad & pay no pet fee! ( 7 0 6 ) 5 4 8 - 2 5 2 2 , w w w. dovetailmanagement.com.

3BR/2BA renovated Victorian. 1/2 mi. to UGA. Lg. rms., high ceilings, HWflrs, front porch, back deck, nice yd. lots of parking. W/D, DW, CHAC. Pets OK. Avail. 8/1. $1250/mo. (706) 369-2908.

N o r t h s i d e 2BR/1BA, lg. lot, $600/mo. Hospital area 2BR/1BA, carport, fenced–in yard, $700/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, $975/ mo. Call McWaters Realty, (706) 549-3222, (706) 3532700, (706) 540-1529.

3BR/2.5BA. 1 mi. to UGA. $1200/mo. 1 yr. old house.

Open floor plan, microwave, DW, W/D conn. Avail. now and pre–leasing for summer 2010.

(706) 410-6122.

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.

Preleasing for fall. 1, 2 & 3BR houses. Close to campus & Dwntn. Call (706) 255-0066.

4BR/2BA Victorian home.

1/2 mi. from campus. New kitchen, W/D, DW, fenced yd., HWflrs, $1600/mo. Huge rooms! Lots of character. Avail.

8/1. Pets OK. (706) 369-2908.

Excellent renovated 4BR/3BA. 1/2 mi. to campus.

Lots of character! Big rms.

New kitchen, DW, W/D, CHAC. Pets OK. Avail. 8/1. $1650/mo.

Call (706) 369-2908.

Grad student/young professionals. 3BR/1BA. Quiet family n’hood. HWflrs.

Separate garage/workshop.

Huge fenced dog pen. Avail.

8/1. $750/mo. Call (706) 369-2908.

Gigantic 5BR/3BA condo.

End of Lumpkin St. 2500 sq. ft.

2 lv. rms, huge laundry rm., din. rm., FP, big deck. DW, W/D, CHAC. Pets OK. Avail. 8/1. $1500/mo. (706) 369-2908.

Great 4BR/4BA house. 1/2 mi. from campus.Front porch, back deck, nice yd., DW, W/D, CHAC. Pets OK. Avail. 8/1.

Special! $1500/mo. (706) 369-2908.

No w pre le a si ng fo r F al l!

1–4BR houses. $350–$1500.

Close to Dwntn & pet friendly.

These lease up fast! Go to www.deklerealty.com, (706) 548-0580.

Roommates 2 roommates needed for 3BR house. Alps area. W/D, WiFi, $315/mo + 1/3 utils. Avail. now.

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.

Room avail. Feb. 1st. In 3BR/2BA. 10 mins from Dwntn. $300/mo. + 1/3 utils. Home is furnished & has W/D, HVAC, lg. yd. & is in quiet n’hood. Call Chris (706) 254-0284.

Roommate needed to share 2BR/2BA apt. on Eastside.

Big kitchen, FP, W/D. $300/ mo. + 1/2 utils. January is free!

Contact nortonca@uga.edu.

Roommate needed to share a 3BR/2BA home w/ bonus rm.

10 min. from Dwntn. Located in Winterville. 5000 Hickory Dr. Lg. yd., CHAC, W/D, DW, FP. Fridge & stove. No pets. Move in immediately. $475/mo, utils incl. Brian (706) 621-3579.

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!

Rooms for Rent Rent a BR, share a house, full furnished. Phone, W/D, Internet. All utils incl. $275/mo.

No pets. M or F. 15 min. from UGA, 5 min from Athens Tech.

Call (706) 369-1659.

Spacious, furnished BR. Quiet, close to campus, kitchen, laundry privileges. Shared BA, priv. entrance. No pets. M students only. $275/mo. incl. utils. (706) 353-0227. Avail. immediately!

Sub-lease 1BR sublease in 3BR/2B house. W/in walking distance to campus & Dwntn! Rent is $325 (negotiable). Contact Will at (540) 521-5646 for more details.

For Sale Run an ad UNTIL IT SELLS in FLAGPOLE CLASSIFIEDS for only $40. (Restrictions apply) Call (706) 549-0301.

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.

Tables, chairs, sofas, 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 2010 South by SouthWest Music Business Conference Laminate. $600 for access to music business panels & band showcases. Full price $700, $750 walk ups. Contact Jared, director@athfest.com, (706) 338-9019.

Come to Betty for vintage quilted Chanel bags. Just in time for Valentine’s Day! On the corner of Pulaski & Clayton, next to Agora. Open 1pm–4pm daily. (706) 424-0566.

TV and Video Get Dish. Free Installation. $19.99/mo. HBO & Showtime Free. Over 50 HD channels Free.

Lowest prices. No equipment to buy. Call now for full details (877) 242-0974 (AAN CAN).

Yard Sales Awesome Garage Sale! Sat. 1/16 from 9am–2pm at 232 Gilleland Dr. Jewelry, Art, Furniture & more! Great deals, everything must sell!

Saturday, 1/16. Big garage sale: fur niture, clothes, books, baby & toddler stuff, camping & outdoor items, household items, small tools & more. 194 Westview Dr. in 5 Pts. 7:30am–2:30pm. Free coffee too. ➤ continued on next page

Adorable 3BR/2BA, close to campus. New master BA w/ double sink. HWflrs., fenced backyd, W/D, DW, CHAC. Avail. 8/1. $1250/mo. (706) 369-2908.

Amazing renovated 5BR/3BA. 1/2 mi. from campus. 2 lv. rms., 2 kitchens, big BRs, huge deck, plenty of parking. DW, W/D, CHAC. Pets OK. Avail. 8/1. $2100/mo. (706) 369-2908.

JANUARY 13, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

33

Music Services

Music Equipment Ampeg Bass cabinet. 4 10” & 1 15” speakers. Beat all to hell & sounds great! Considering partial trade for smaller cabinet. $500. Call (706) 296-4034.

G i b s o n E x p l o r e r, b l a c k w/ black pick guard.

Like new, case included. $850. Call Scott at (706) 207-5117.

Instruction Athens School of Music.

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

From beginner to exper t.

Instrument repairs avail. (706) 543-5800.

Athens Piano School.

Premium Piano Lessons Guaranteed. All ages & levels w e l c o m e f ro m b e g i n n e r s to advanced. Discounts for families & UGA students. Visit www.AthensPianoSchool.com or call (706) 549-0707.

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.

G u i t a r R e p a i r , setups, electronics & fretwork by 20 yr. pro. Thousands of previous clients. Proceeds help benefit N u ç i ’s S p a c e . Contact Jeff (404) 643-9772 or www.

AthensGuitar.com for details.

Looking for a fun, classy alter native 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 visitwww.squatme.com/ weddings. (706) 548-0457.

Wedding Bands. Quality, professional bands. Weddings, parties. Rock, Jazz, etc. Call Classic City Entertainment. ( 7 0 6 ) 5 4 9 - 1 5 6 7 . w w w. classiccityentertainment. com. Featuring The Magictones—Athens’ premiere wedding & party band. www. themagictones.com.

Services Health Penis enlargement. Gain 1-3” permanently. FDA approved medical vacuum pumps, Testosterone, Viagra, Cialis.

Free brochure. (619) 294-7777, http://www.drjoelkaplan.com.

Discounts avail. (AAN CAN).

Pregnant? Considering adoption? Talk w/ caring agency specializing in matching bir thmothers w/ families nationwide. Living expenses paid. Abby’s One True Gift Adoptions. (866) 4136293 (AAN CAN).

Home and Garden Backyard Solutions.

Make your neighbors envious!

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

Misc. Services Hypnosis works! Call for Private Sessions. Also Self– Hypnosis training for personal improvement & career training as a Cer tified Hypnotist.

Located in Athens. Jacqueline Reed, CMI, CHT. (706) 8500223, www.hypnosisartist.com.

Sports Martial Arts, Kenpo Karate, Kali, Silat, Muay Thai. Awesome shape in 2010! Small class.

Hurry, Only 5 spots left! Call Steve (706) 410-0951, email steve@karatefire.com.

Jobs Full-time 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!

Opportunities Does your daughter have symptoms of bulimia nervosa? Has your daughter injured herself on purpose?

Researchers at the University of Georgia Psychology Clinic are conducting a treatment study for teens w/ symptoms of bulimia nervosa & deliberate self harm. Open to teenage girls age 16–18. Receive $300 upon completion of study! For more info, pls email the Eating, Drinking, & Personality Research lab at the University of Georgia at bnstudy@uga.edu, or call (706) 542-3827.

Earn extra income assembling CD cases from home. No experience necessary. (800) 405-7619 ext. 2450. http:// www.easywork-greatpay.com (AAN CAN).

January 9 February 28, 2010 Curator: Lizzie Zucker Saltz Guest Essayist: Mary Jessica Hammes

160 Tracy Street In the Chase Street Warehouses

Gallery Hours: Thursdays: 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays: 1:00 - 6:00 p.m. ...and by appointment

Nurture Affiliated Event:

Sunday, January 24th 3:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Milky-Milk Time: a pro-breast-feeding Athens Conscious Parent/Full Bloom Event Presentations on breastfeeding issues by Melanie Garland, RN, ICLBC, Susan Fisher, CNM, Nurse-Midwife at Athens Regional Medical Center, Pat Nielsen, Full Bloom Pregnancy and Early Parenting Center and Athens Conscious Parent founder Alexa Shea.

Fun Kid’s activities and low-cost child-care provided (details on website).

5:00 Nurse-In & Group Photo!

5:30 Reception with refreshments

Curator’s Walk & Talk

Thursday, January 28 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Curator and ATHICA Director Lizzie Zucker Saltz will talk informally about the works in the exhibition and their relationship to parenting and societal attitudes about breast feeding and non-sexual nudity. Children of all ages welcome!

Free!

our sponsors:

Athens Conscious Parent

34

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 13, 2010

Earn $40! UGA researchers looking for F age 18 & older who purge at least twice/mo. to participate in a 1–visit research study. Contact bnstudy@ uga.edu.

Free Advice! We’ll help you choose a program or degree to get your career & your life on track. Call Collegebound Network Today! (877) 892-2642 (AAN CAN).

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

Movie Extras Needed. Earn $150–$300/day. All looks, types & ages. Feature films, TV, commercials, & print. No exp. necessary. (800) 340-8404 ext.

2001 (AAN CAN).

Now hiring! Companies desperately need employees to assemble products at home.

No selling, any hours. $500/ wk. potential. Info at (985) 6461700 dept. GA–3058.

Te a c h E n g l i s h A b r o a d !

Become TEFL certified. 4 wk. course offered monthly in Prague. Jobs avail. worldwide.

Lifetime job assistance. Tuition: 1 3 0 0 E u ro s . h t t p : / / w w w. t e f l wo rl dwi de pra gu e . c o m , info@teflworldwideprague.com (AAN CAN).

Part-time Mystery shoppers earn up t o $ 1 0 0 / d a y. U n d e rc o v e r shoppers needed to judge retail & dining establishments.

No exp. req’d. (800) 743-8535.

Project Safe is hiring for the position of Outreach Services Advocate. Hrs somewhat flexible. 1 evening & Saturday hours req’d. Responsibilities incl. following–up on Hotline calls & other referrals, & providing case mgmt. w/ Outreach clients. Send cover letter & resume to the Lead Outreach Advocate, P.O. Box 7532, Athens GA 30604.

No phone calls. EOE.

Vehicles Autos 2002 ToyotaRav4. $7K. Pearl white, upgrade pkg, airbags, spoiler, rack. FWD cruise, 24/29 gas. Low miles. Excellent condition. Email for photos: art. montague@gmail.com. Athens location (706) 340-9091.

Motorcycles For Sale. 2007 250 Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle. Black w/ red flames. Like new, only 14 mi.

Reduced $2K firm. Call (706) 788-3160.

Notices Messages Reach over 5 million young, active, educated readers for $995 by advertising in 110 weekly newspapers like this one.

(202) 289-8484 (AAN CAN).

Organizations Ready to spice things up?

Come to the Effie’s Club Follies 4th Annual Chili Cook Off on Sat. 1/16 at Little Kings. 7pm, $10.

everyday people

Our Winter

SALE!!

JOEL MONTALVO, TAX ADVISOR, ECONOMIST Back in his native Peru, Joel Montalvo traversed a wide professional spectrum: he was a loan officer, vice treasurer of a telephone company and used car importer, among other things.

Joel and his wife Maria came to Athens from Peru 10 years ago with their three children, two of whom are now attending the University of Georgia. After putting in six years at Jackson Hewitt as a tax advisor, Joel co-founded his current business, Masters Tax and Financial Services, which is where I met him on a quiet December morning.

Flagpole: For the tape: your name please?

Joel Montalvo: Joel Montalvo.

FP: What are some of the main differences between living in Peru and living here?

JM: In Peru we have more social life, between our family first and between our friends… that’s the main thing that affects most South American people [when they come to the U.S.]… people here are busier, people are more concentrated on work than on social life.

FP: Has any of the “Bolivarian Revolution” spread to Peru?

JM: No, not right now. We have a couple leaders—actually, we have one… Chávez financed his presidential campaign. But he lost… as far as I know, his group doesn’t have too much support from the Peruvian people… The thing is that the Peruvian economy has been growing for the past 10 years—as soon as I [left] the country! [Laughs.]

FP: Was it difficult to become a tax advisor here in the U.S.?

JM: As I say to everybody, and really, to my children, there’s nothing difficult if you want to do it, really.

FP: What’s the most important duty of your current job?

JM: The main thing is to keep updated on all the [tax] law changes… A friend of mine that’s an accountant, he says he

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FP: Oh, sorry: Jo-uhl. I’ve been saying Jo-el.

JM: This is fine. Let me tell you: my first name is Ricardo.

So, I am Ricardo Joel Montalvo. But I was born in Ica, Peru, and 15 days later, my mom took me to Brazil because my dad was there; he was an international student in Sao Paolo.

And “Joel” was a very popular name there, so that’s why they started calling me “Joel” instead of “Ricardo”… And I’ve kept that name for all my life…

We went back to Peru when I was two years old.

South America [it was] very popular, but not now—and history has shown us that really, that’s not the way to go. It’s not that the capitalism is a perfect system, [but] it’s a better system than socialism, really.

FP: What made you decide to come to the U.S.?

JM: In ’95, ‘96… Those years, the economy grew really bad. My wife was always concerned about our children, the education… we had some friends that were doctors, accountants, lawyers—they couldn’t find a job in their own professions, so they started doing something else. Like driving taxis.

And my wife was very concerned, she said we don’t want that for our children… then’s when we decided to come… Mainly, it was my wife, [she] always liked the United States. We came to the United States for our honeymoon—it was 27 years ago— our honeymoon was planned to go to Argentina, Uruguay, Chile. But two weeks before we get married, we visited some friends; they showed us some pictures of Disney World. So, she asked me to change our plans. And I said “Well, if we get the visa, we’ll do it.” …We went to Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Washington [and] Chicago, where we had some friends.

FP: What kind of work did you do in Peru before you came here?

JM: I was a vice-treasurer of a telephone company. La Compania Peruana de Telefonos… in those days, there used to be just two telephone companies in the whole country… [but] when this Spanish company bought them, they merged them both together. So, there was somebody else doing my same job in the other company! [Laughs.] But I was making three times what he was making. So, that’s when I decided to go on my own leave… I quit the company a month before they were going to fire me.

FP: Since you’re an economist, what do you think of what Hugo Chávez wants to do in South America, about the resurgence of socialism down there?

JM: Well, they’re going against our times. That was an idea 40, 50 years ago around the world—maybe 30 years ago in

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never likes to do taxes because it’s like becoming a lawyer, an attorney… because of all the laws that are involved. Maybe it’s part in my blood: my parents both are attorneys, my sister’s an attorney, so I don’t know why I didn’t study law. [Laughs.]

FP: What happens to your business during those last eight months of the year, when you’re not doing taxes?

JM: We do some bookkeeping here; not too much… but I also have another business, which I started nine years ago. I wholesale calling cards. Prepaid phone cards that you use to call all around the world… it was a good business for me until last year, now it’s slowed down a lot.

FP: Was it Skype that hurt the business?

JM: No, Skype didn’t hurt. What hurt it was two things: the economy—people that used to buy five, six cards a week to call their countries, now they’re buying one a week; the other thing that hurt a lot was that the cell phone companies like Verizon, AT&T, Metro PCS, now they have plans that you can call to your country for five dollars [a month] and you get unlimited calls.

FP: What do you like to do during your time off work?

JM: I play racquetball. I love to play soccer but… you need more people to play soccer, and I didn’t have a chance to play soccer lately. But I’m playing racquetball right now and, actually, last month I won the [doubles] state championship.

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XX Mental Health Benefit 2010

Art Donations Needed for the Mental Health Benefit 2010. Your donated art will be auctioned off on Saturday, Jan 30th with proceeds benefitting Mental Health Association of Northeast Georgia.

For more info visit fightthestigma.org or call Eddie Whitlock at 770-633-3513.

Mental Health Benefit 2010 Schedule of Events Jan 24 - Artists’ Reception at Ciné Jan 25 - Jewel A. Norman, the Governor’s Disability Services Ombudsman, speaks at Athens Tech at noon in the auditorium. Free admission.

“Give Back The Night” at Chili’s Jan 26 and Jan 28 - Film “A Friend Indeed” will be shown Tuesday and Thursday at 7 pm at Ciné.

Jan 29 - Five Eight Performs (location TBA) Jan 30 - Art Auction Saturday at 6 pm at Ciné

www.fightthestigma.org

XX Check out for more info about Mental Health America and the January 24-30 Benefit Schedule