http://flagpole.com/images/jpgs/2010/02/03/FP100203

COLORBEARER OF ATHENS RUNNING AFOUL

LOCALLY OWNED SINCE 1987

Do-Gooders

The Washington Street Liberation Army Acts Up p. 9

FEBRUARY 3, 2010 · VOL. 24 · NO. 5 · FREE

George Jones The Legendary Country Singer Performs in Athens p. 19

Emerging Neighborhoods p. 7 · Meatballs! p. 11 · Packway Handle Band p. 21 · Jonathan Richman p. 25

TIGER vs. ROBOT

well... it is just... ... I don’t think I really fit in with the other tigers :(

flagpole.com flagpole com

so... explain to me again what the problem is?

voted ‘best burrito’ Creative Loafing and Insite Magazine

our burritos aren’t fat, they’re just big boned

Trivia night at Willy’s!

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

College Night

First Tuesday of the month Sept - May $4.00 burritos all day with college ID

we cater to a crowd!

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

buy one get one 1/2 off expiration 2/28/10 • Willy’s Mexicana Grill

2

call 706-548-1920 to place order

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

Cash value 1/100 of 1¢. Good only at Athens location. © 2010 Willy’s Mexicana Grill. Code: FP

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 3, 2010

flagpole com

pub notes Eat Mo’ Chicken

®

“I fell off the chicken truck and am hurt! I was just left on the side of the road still alive as cars whizzed past me—what an awful life I have had. Please let me die a noble death. Please share with the world—my pain.

Please change!!!”

When I walked back to Flagpole from the post office Monday morning, a white plastic bag sat on our doorstep. Inside the bag crouched a chicken, and underneath the bag was this note.

Our Flagpole crew gathered around the bag, everybody concerned for the chicken, which had a bloody, skull-splitting crease on its head. What to do? Our office manager, Paul Karjian, called the UGA vet school, where he has a close connection. He knew the students there would take it in, and they did, though, alas, it was too late. In addition to the head wound, the chicken had a massive gash across its abdomen that we could not see. It died a couple of hours after it got to the vet school.

You’ve seen them: along the bypass, along the highway. Would you rather fall off the chicken truck to flounder until finished off by a car or continue the trip to the end and get the ice pick in your brain?

What’s your choice? Either way, you’re out of the crowded, dung-steeped, drug-induced, force-fed existence that has been your “life” since you hatched. At least if you make it to your destination, I get to enjoy you as chicken fingers or chicken salad. This poor fowl was denied its destiny.

The trembling bird I held in my hands—de-chickenized though it was—reminded me starkly just who it is I am eating and what it goes through to reach my plate. This was no yard chicken pecking peacefully around the house until the time comes for me to thankfully wring its neck in order to feed the preacher at Sunday dinner. This was an escapee from a concentration camp who had never known sunlight or fresh air: a mere commodity. God’s eye, we are told, is on the sparrow, but surely even He averts His gaze from the 10,000 chickens crammed into the commercial chicken house to be pumped up for industrial slaughter.

People have eaten meat from time immemorial and will continue to do so. Throughout most of history, you killed what you raised or hunted. Factory farming has created this vast disconnect between the food we eat and how it is raised. Few of us could stand to observe all those chickens crammed into all those houses and hauled to the de-gutting line. Fortunately, we don’t have to observe it, unless we happen to glance up at the chicken truck ahead of us or find one of its escapees.

This same kind of disconnect allows us to laugh at cows parachuting into football stadiums urging us to consume more chicken. While we’re smiling, our drone missiles kill women and children half a world away to provide us with the gasoline to drive to the chicken place. We pump our gas and pick up our chicken and watch the game—bloodless.

We hire our soldiers to do our fighting for us like we pay our factories to slaughter the animals we eat—far away and out of sight. Don’t try to tell me about it, either, because I won’t listen. The game is on, and here come those funny cows. After that, a slice of real life and the gripping drama of genuine human struggle: “American Idol.” Don’t say we’re not involved.

So, what do we do? Shut down the $22 billion a year chicken industry? Pull out of Afghanistan? Educate ourselves about what we’re doing as a nation and as individual people?

None of that is going to happen. Around here, the best we can do is to continue buying local produce and meat raised by the old, more humane methods that provide our food free from cancerous additives and assembly-line commodification.

For the rest of it, as citizens of our vast, impersonal, irresponsible killing machine of a nation, perhaps we’d better pray there is no God—and eat mo’ chicken.

Pete McCommons editor@flagpole.com

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

The 2010 Overview Commission gets rolling, and the Clarke County Democrats get roasting.

Power to the Party People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 The Washington Street Liberation Army Mobilizes

The WSLA’s brand of activism appeals to a traditionally non-activist crowd.

Arts & Events Miscellany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Out and About Around Athens

This week: New business ventures, artsy happenings and literary events.

Movie Pick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 The Return of Mad Mel

Edge of Darkness will not be enough to convince any rabid anti-Gibsonites to shift their allegiances.

COVER DESIGN by Kelly Ruberto featuring a painting by Yvonne Studevan on display at OCAF

10

Music They Do It Their Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Screaming Females Are DIY Shred

This power trio comes roaring out of the basements of New Brunswick.

Country’s Rock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 After Six Decades of Hits, George Jones Remains Vital This is what a real country artist sounds like.

CITY DOPE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 CITY PAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 CAPITOL IMPACT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 ATHENS RISING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 COMMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 WSLA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 MISCELLANY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 GRUB NOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 MOVIE DOPE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 MOVIE PICK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

THREATS & PROMISES. . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 RECORD REVIEWS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 SCREAMING FEMALES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 GEORGE JONES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 PACKWAY HANDLE BAND . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 THE CALENDAR!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 BULLETIN BOARD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 ART AROUND TOWN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 COMICS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 REALITY CHECK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

15

This week at Flagpole.COM

17

 Read Live Music Reviews  Find a new buddy with Adopt Me!  Place a Classified ad  Read new restaurant reviews in Grub Notes  Check out our online-only feature on Adam Young of   

Owl City Submit an event with our new online Calendar form Homedrone: Look for music venue updates and news Talk back! We want to hear from you. Send a Letter to the Editor

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, Sam Davidson, Ian King, Missy Kulik, Jeremy Long, David Mack, Clint McElroy, Matthew Ziemer ADOPT ME Special Agent Cindy Jerrell CONTRIBUTORS Michael Andrews, Hillary Brown, Tom Crawford, Elaine Ely, Andre Gallant, Jennifer Gibson, Chris Hassiotis, John Huie, Gordon Lamb, Sam Prestridge, Julia Reidy, John Seay, Jeff Tobias, 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 Nicole Edgeworth ADVERTISING INTERNS Karli Sanchez, Laura Smith

VOLUME 24 ISSUE NUMBER 5

Flagpole, Inc. publishes Flagpole Magazine weekly and distributes 17,000 copies free at over 275 locations around Athens, Georgia. Subscriptions cost $55 a year, $35 for six months. © 2010 Flagpole, Inc. All rights reserved.

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

Association of Alternative Newsweeklies

FEBRUARY 3, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

3

Kris Langley

passed away this Saturday

after a battle with leukemia.

Kris was a great musician

with an amazing sense of humor.

He left behind many friends,

a wonderful wife Claire, and a beautiful son Will.

He was an inspiration

to all who knew him, and will be greatly missed.

DOWNTOWN . EASTSIDE . EPPS BRIDGE . FIVE POINTS . WATKINSVILLE

IT’S TIME FOR THE BIG GAME...

BRAND NEW 10 ft. PROJECTION SCREEN! SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6

RS E T T A L P O RRIT

BU

DIP TRAYS TACO BAR

WE CATER! ASK US HOW.

5 Cover $

on Pay-Per-View

Every UFC Pay-Per-View shown on 18 TVs plus our New 10ft.

Projection Screen!!!

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7

SUPER SUNDAY PARTY!!!

Starting at 5pm be one of the first 100 people in and enter a chance to win gift certificates each quarter plus

FREE WINGS FOR A YEAR!!!!!

00 $2.00 3.

32oz. COORS LIGHT WELLS

ALL DAY!!!

$

STADIUM CUPS $ 2.00 22oz. Mugs of Coors and $12.99 Margarita Pitchers ALL THE TIME!!! $ 2.50 Well Drinks and $3.00 22oz. Yuengling Mugs ALL DAY Mon-Fri.

Team Trivia Monday Night @ 8:30 / Sports Trivia Wednesday @ 8:30 Win House Cash and Prizes!

To see our full menu visit WWW.BARBERITOS.COM

4

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 3, 2010

Eastside Publix Shopping Center • 706-850-1916

city dope

Eat...Drink...Help Many...

Athens News and Views Citizens in Action: The 2010 Athens-Clarke County Overview Commission met last week for the second time since being appointed by a grand jury late last year. Things are just getting started for the 21-member panel, which includes two representatives from each of ACC’s 10 districts plus Chair Jill Read; the Commission will continue its work throughout the year. That begins with the process of interviewing the heads of all county departments, as well as the mayor, commissioners Suzie Poole

Whoa, It’s Gettin’ Hot in Here: In a benefit for the Clarke County Democratic Committee, state Labor Commissioner and Athens native Michael Thurmond will be “honored” Feb. 18 at the Classic Center with one of the greatest cultural institutions Western civilization has produced: a roast! Sadly, the hilarious Don Rickles will not participate, nor, for that matter, will the deceased Redd Foxx or Buddy Hackett. Instead, the Hon. Lawton E. Stephens will serve as roastmaster, with the likes of Jane Kidd, Doc Eldridge and Upshaw Bentley offering up testimony.

Tickets are $50 and available through the Classic Center box office or website: www. classiccenter.com.

Sad Occasion: A memorial gathering for Reese Fitts, who tragically passed away Jan. 13, will be held on Feb. 6 at Mama’s Boy, where Fitts had worked in the kitchen since the restaurant opened three years ago. Fitts was also a volunteer worker at Nuçi’s Space, and a portion of the evening’s sales will be donated to the local musicians’ resource center.

Friends and loved ones of Reese Fitts’ are invited to come for dinner, then to stay for a party in his memory from 9 to 11 p.m.

l

A Taste of Athens Proceeds benefit COMMUNITY CONNECTION of NEGA

Sunday, February 21 • 5pm - 8pm • Classic Center - over 50 local restaurants - wine & beer samples - fabulous silent auction items - live music -

Tickets on Sale Now!

www.TasteofAthens.com

consultantselegant unlimited eclectic extraordinary

a division of

It’s That Time Again: The Dope was alarmed to see an unpleasantly familiar, A memorial gathering for Reese Fitts will be held Feb. 6 at Mama’s Boy. slightly oversized envelope on his desk recently, silently announcing and county manager. Read tells the Dope that the advent of income tax season. For those phase will continue until about June, when of you who have neither a savvy spouse the Commission will take what it’s learned to take charge of the annual ordeal, nor from interviews and research and begin craftthe resources to hire a professional, help is ing the document that will contain its findavailable. The IRS’ Volunteer Income Tax ings and recommendations.

Assistance program is being offered in Athens The Overview Commission convenes every through a partnership between Georgia Federal 10 years as mandated by the ACC charter; Credit Union and UGA’s College of Family Read calls it “a managerial audit” of the workings of the government. It’s an opportunity for and Consumer Sciences. Low and moderate income taxpayers can get help preparing the public to put in its two cents as to how their taxes from an IRS-certified volunteer at our elected and appointed officials conduct either GFCU’s office at 190 Gaines School Rd. their—our—business, and it’s something we or the old UGA Visual Arts building at 285 S. should all be paying attention to. The full Jackson St. Appointments can be scheduled Commission is currently meeting every other Tuesdays and Thursdays, with walk-in hours Thursday; the next one is at 5 p.m. Feb. 11 in the Planning Department Auditorium at 120 W. on Saturdays. Go to www.gfcuonline.org or call 888-493-4328 (ext. 6486) for info and Dougherty St. These meetings are open to the appointments. public, so keep an eye on the events calendar on the ACC website to make sure of locations Nothing to See Here, Folks: Although the and times.

Facebook group is still alive and active, the campaign to “draft” seasoned Athens politiMore Citizens, More Action: The Barber Street cian Andy Rusk to run against Paul Broun, Jr. Park Project is a loosely organized group in this year’s congressional election appears that’s dedicated to designing and building a to have failed. Rusk ended (most) speculation neighborhood park in a currently overgrown, about his plans last week when he posted on city-owned lot on Barber where Boulevard the group’s page that he does not intend to ends. Volunteers got to work clearing brush seek office at this time. The Dope can only from the front of the property a couple of assume that this is part of a meticulously weekends ago, and the results are pretty impressive (they can be viewed at the group’s calibrated scheme designed to maximize Rusk’s desirability as a candidate by making him website, www.barberstreetparkproject.net, or appear “hard-to-get.” Or perhaps it’s all being better yet, in person). This is the definition orchestrated by the nefarious Broun himself… of “grassroots” community action, and it’s don’t miss a moment! working very nicely. The next scheduled volunteer cleanup day is Saturday, Feb. 6—go to Dave Marr news@flagpole.com the website to sign up or learn more.

FEBRUARY 3, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

5

city pages work itself out, Cowick says, but the lot will have to conform to certain requirements.

If the process seems confusing, well, it is.

Still unsure about his options, Googe says he may have to lose the tasting room or move the entire facility. But Jittery Joe’s’ parking fate is far from sealed; there’s a long month of hearings and official convincing ahead of the coffee company.

Following Thursday night’s meeting, planning staff will present their recommendations to the mayor and commission at their midFebruary agenda setting session and the final decision will come down at the Mar. 2 regular commission meeting. There’s “a lot of diversity of opinion” coming from the commission, with preferences ranging from strict compliance to flexibility, says Commissioner Kelly Girtz.

Allowing the permit for a gravel lot doesn’t rule out any preferable future uses or expansion in the same way that plopping down a mini-mart on the site would, Girtz says.

“It seems worth considering,” he says, adding that Jittery Joe’s needs to recognize that someone could buy up the lot, and they’d be out of luck. Even if the permit comes, Girtz says, the business had better start thinking long term.

Thursday’s 7 p.m. meeting in the Planning Department Auditorium, located at 120 W. Dougherty St., is open to the public.

Decision Time Nears on Jittery Joe’s Parking Lot After a few quiet months of temporary reprieve, the East Broad Street dirt and gravel lot used by the Jittery Joe’s roaster and tasting room for customer parking again faces government scrutiny. On Feb. 4 the AthensClarke County Planning Commission will review staff reports on a site plan submitted by lot owner Don Bennett and Jittery Joe’s owner Bob Googe. But the plan raises serious problems for county planners, so the owners’ heads are still “on the chopping block,” Googe says.

Last fall, planning officials told Bennett to close the lot to daily parking use because it didn’t meet the community standards for parking lots adopted in the county’s 2008 comprehensive land use plan. Originally, Bennett let Jittery Joe’s staff and customers park in the lot on weekdays in exchange for restroom and water access for RVs on football gamedays.

The roaster and the tasting room have only three allotted parking spaces.

The planning department’s October action raised the ire of customers, the local media and even several ACC Commission members, who asked the planning department to grant a temporary use permit to Bennett until the matter could be resolved officially. Bennett and Googe submitted a site plan for review, but in November asked to table the issue while they considered all of their options.

Under review Thursday night is an unchanged version of last fall’s submission, and planning staff is recommending denial of the special use request for a few reasons.

Senior planner Rick Cowick says the design doesn’t meet some basic technical requirements for a downtown lot: it’s not paved, for starters, and there are storm water issues that could affect the adjacent lot, which will be used for part of the county’s future rails to trails project. Then there’s an issue of control that bothers staffers: Jittery Joe’s doesn’t own the lot they’d be using for daily parking. What protects the business beyond the original handshake agreement made by Bennett and Googe? And there’s a philosophical issue: Does the city want to support stand-alone parking or on-street and deck parking?

If Jittery Joe’s were to buy the lot—if the off-street parking were under Jittery Joe’s’ direct control—many of these concerns would cease to be. But the price of the lot is unaffordable, says Googe.

This is “nothing about the city against Jittery Joe’s at all,” says Cowick. Planners try to treat everyone the same, whether corporate or local businesses, and the department must “have more of a reason to break a community standard.” There is potential for the mess to

Andre Gallant

Commission Poised to Approve Methane Capture and Sale Rotting trash produces methane and CO2, both “greenhouse gases” that cause global warming. The Environmental Protection Agency has announced it will regulate CO2 emissions, and Athens-Clarke County’s Lexington Road landfill could eventually fall under those tightened regulations, county Solid Waste Director Jim Corley tells Flagpole.

Collecting all the gases from the landfill could mean drilling 175 “wells” into the landfill; but short of being required to do that, Corley proposes to allow a private company to drill 40 gas wells and collect enough methane to generate electricity to power 2000 homes. The county will be paid royalties for the electricity the company sells.

And because burning the methane and CO2 (rather than allowing them to escape to the atmosphere) prevents global warming, the company will also sell federal “carbon credits” and “renewable energy credits,” he says.

“You’re selling the right for somebody else to exceed their limits,” Corley explains. Those credits—plus electricity sales—could bring the county $5 million over 10 years, he says.

Wells will be dug through perhaps 50 feet of rotting trash, and slotted pipes inserted to collect the gas. When the methane is burned, the CO2 also breaks down, he says.

Ten companies responded to the county’s August request for proposals and a Utah company, Blue Source LLC, has been chosen based on experience, financial viability and proposed royalties, Corley told ACC commissioners in a background document. Commissioners are poised to approve the contract Feb. 2; royalty payments to the county could start next year.

John Huie

Criminal Justice Panel Seeks Alternatives to More Incarceration Having made the case for a new jail, ACC’s Criminal Justice Task Force—a committee of local defense attorneys, county commissioners and citizens—appears ready to move on to streamlining bottlenecks in the court system and providing alternatives to locking people up. ACC commissioners have approved a funding plan for a larger jail (it will be funded as the largest of the next round of SPLOST projects, if voters approve). But among task force members there were strong sentiments that there needs to be a real push, too, to provide alternatives to jail.

“A lot of those [alternative] programs are underfunded,” said Jenni Austin of the Athens

Justice Project. “If we don’t have a meeting of the minds amongst the people in the system, we’re going to always have a full jail,” said retired UGA public safety director Asa Boynton (who also chaired the state Board of Corrections under Governor Roy Barnes).

“If we’re going to build a bigger jail, and the judges are going to say, ’Well, we’ve got space now; we can just send everybody to jail’— that’s just going to be another problem.”

County Manager Alan Reddish has voiced the same concern; and Bob Goble, the countyhired consultant who studied the local justice system and assessed jail needs, told the task force in 2008 that ACC’s jail population has kept going up even though overall crime rates “declined significantly” since 1998. That’s because “you’re catching more,” he said; the worst offenders are already in prison, which “has enabled law enforcement to focus down” and arrest people for less-serious crimes.

But local judges “don’t really buy into the concept” that more jail space will automatically be filled, court administrator Tracy BeMent told Flagpole. “They look at each case and make a determination of ’Does this person need to go to jail?’” or perhaps, instead, a non-jail alternative for some non-violent inmates: parole, house arrest with an ankle monitor, felony drug court (which requires defendants to hold a job and attend counseling) or “mental health court” (which provides treatment instead of jail). Eventually, a planned diversion/ work-release center will be added as an alternative.

John Huie

HELP THE EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS OF HAITI DONATE TO THESE OR OTHER RELIEF ORGANIZATIONS

World Vision www.worldvision.org

6

Red Cross www.redcross.org

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 3, 2010

Bill Clinton Foundation www.clintonfoundation.org/haitiearthquake

Doctors Without Borders www.doctorswithoutborders.org

capitol impact athens rising Waving Goodbye to the Future When Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood stopped in Atlanta last September, he was asked about Georgia’s prospects for getting some of the $8 billion in federal stimulus funds being allocated for a network of highspeed passenger rail lines. Georgia had applied for $472 million that would pay for building a rail link between Atlanta and Macon.

But LaHood’s response to reporters’ questions about the federal money was not very encouraging.

“It’ll come to Atlanta if Georgia gets its act together,” LaHood said. “There has to be a commitment by state government that transit is important.”

Unfortunately for Georgia, we are still looking for that commitment from the state’s leadership. We paid the price last week when the announcement of the rail grants was finally made. Florida and North Carolina will get nearly $1.8 billion combined for the high-speed rail project. Georgia will get the piddling amount of $750,000 to conduct yet another study of passenger rail.

This is bad news for the state, but it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Georgia has been much less than serious about this issue.

We already have $87 million in federal funds that have sat unused for the last 10 years because the state still has not agreed to provide $20 million in matching funds.

That money would have paid for the first part of the Atlanta-Macon line, a commuter rail link from downtown Atlanta down to Clayton County.

Here’s what our leadership thought was more important to the state’s future: Gov. Sonny Perdue proposed, and the Legislature approved, $19 million a few years ago to build a bunch of boat docks and a tourist center for the “Go Fish” initiative that was supposed to attract bass fishing tournaments to Georgia.

In his new budget, Perdue proposed spending $10 million on a College Football Hall

of Fame that will relocate to Atlanta and $9.1 million on a horse park at the National Fairgrounds and Agricenter down there in Perry.

Passenger rail service? We can’t afford any of that.

Our neighboring states are making a major investment to become part of a transportation network that could reshape the future of this region. We’re building boat docks and horse parks. We can’t even agree on a sales tax to repave a few highways.

This is not a partisan issue—both parties have been asleep at the wheel. Democratic governors Roy Barnes and Zell Miller also passed up opportunities to get into the rail game. Sam Williams of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce recalls how business leaders tried in vain to sell Miller’s transportation commissioner, the late Wayne Shackelford, on the value of upgrading rail service.

“We argued with Wayne Shackelford for years to try to get money for rail,” Williams said, but he wouldn’t budge. That indifference to any mode of transportation other than highways has also been a feature of the Republicans who have controlled state government in recent years.

“We’re the caboose on this train,” Williams said. “If we’re cut out of this, if the rail line goes down the coast (and not through Atlanta), then shame on us.”

North Carolina and Florida are willing to make major investments that should result in benefits down the line for all of their citizens.

They’re getting big money from the federal government to start putting people to work and make it a reality.

Georgia could have been part of that too, but we have decided not to get on board. The train is leaving the station without us. We’re waving goodbye to the future.

Tom Crawford tcrawford@capitolimpact.net

What’s Up in New Development and downtown, is a historically AfricanAmerican neighborhood which has recently received a great deal of infill housing.

What do all these changes mean for the people in these neighborhoods, and what do we do about it? Unfortunately, I haven’t seen many clear approaches to solving the problems of gentrification, but there is a diagnosis which I think may point a way forward. In the case of both of these neighborhoods, there is a cycle of boom and bust at work that is ultimately unsustainable, with big profits for those who buy low and sell high.

However, a cataclysmic event, be it in the form of an employer closing, a new piece of infrastructure or some other major local development will eventually send a neighborhood on a downward spiral of disinvestment, with someone losing a lot of money.

What the process of gentrification ultimately represents is an economic segregation which occurs not across space but across time.

People of many incomes will live within a single area—but never during the same period. To break this cycle, mixed-income and affordable housing are critical. Whether that comes in the form of physical buildings or legal mechanisms is a big question.

Consider the recent controversy over an Athens Land Trust house in Forest Heights, on the farthest edge of that OglethorpeHawthorne neighborhood.

This could be seen as a first step toward that neighborhood’s emerging stability. What’s so conThere are no clean slates. Every area of revitalization is already occupied in troversial about it, though? some way, even in the primarily industrial zone around RXRAD. Seen through the lens of this boom-and-bust cycle, between the Sunset neighborhood and more the fear is that the building of this affordable suburban developments to the west, this home may be the type of event which will affordable urban fringe could potentially take eventually tip the subdivision over the edge off when the medical students come to town and send it into a downward spiral. But if a few blocks away. that’s all it takes to dislodge a neighborhood’s What are the limiting factors, though, stability and endanger the life savings and that have kept the area from blossoming so equity of dozens of families, was the value far? For one thing, there is still a particularly ever really there to begin with? suburban air to Hawthorne Avenue itself, Another way to see it is that affordable which makes it unfriendly to pedestrians housing in a neighborhood represents the (Oglethorpe Avenue, on the other hand, is a first step toward a diversified portfolio. A highly biked and walked corridor). On-street neighborhood is more likely to weather crises parking and streetscaping, as in Five Points and retain its sense of community if it isn’t or Normaltown, might add a great deal more populated by a single type of person in a friendliness to the area. The lack of a true single income bracket. If the people who make public realm will be one of the greatest chalup a community come from different segments lenges Athens faces not only here, but all over of the economy, there’s less chance of the town, as we transition from a car-centric subsorts of mass foreclosures and empty subdiurban community to an urban one. And what visions that we see around Atlanta or Oconee should the area be called? Sunset has got County. There’s less chance of easy money, but a nice ring to it, and orienting that singleless chance of everyone losing everything, family neighborhood west to this commercial too. corridor is only logical.

Whatever happens in these emerging The folks in the Railroad Arts District neighborhoods and others, it will be prudent (RXRAD) have got the name thing figured for established residents and those moving out, as they create a cohesive identity for in to see the value of cultural and economic the jumbled collection of warehouses along diversity and to design for and provide for it the CSX line north of town. What’s interestover time. This is a lesson that’s been learned ing here is the cycle of displacement which over and over again, not only in terms of the area is undergoing. Predominately white planning, but also in ecology and in finance. musicians and artists, themselves displaced by Ultimately, we all bear a responsibility for gentrification downtown, are renovating old the long-term health and stability of our city’s warehouses adjacent to a recently shuttered neighborhoods. chicken plant with a largely Hispanic workforce. And Newtown, wedged between RXRAD Kevan Williams athensrising@flagpole.com How does a neighborhood form? What is the moment when a collection of residences and businesses becomes something more, a place of its own? Over the past few years I’ve watched two distinct areas evolve, each illustrating a different set of issues and opportunities. I’m not sure what the future holds for these places, but the possibilities are exciting to consider. Even more importantly, how do we make these places last as true, stable communities which retain their identities over the years?

I’ve lived near the intersection of Oglethorpe and Hawthorne for the past few years, and it’s been interesting to see the changes that have occurred in the area. By all accounts, this intersection could form the heart of the next Normaltown or Five Points.

There’s a wide diversity of recently added businesses and plenty of infill houses and renovations in the surrounding neighborhoods.

A block away, the Farmers’ Market at Bishop Park has been a breakaway success. Wedged

FEBRUARY 3, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

7

comment White Bread and Mayo, Served on a Plate of Snow On Jan. 19, the first Republican debate of the 2010 campaign for Georgia governor was held in the South Auditorium in the Psychology-Journalism Plaza of the University of Georgia. Six of the seven candidates participated: Congressman Nathan Deal; ex-Secretary of State Karen Handel; the president pro tempore of the state Senate, Eric Johnson; state Rep. Austin Scott; state Sen. Jeff Chapman and businessman Ray McBerry.

I’m not around Republicans nearly as much as I’d like to be, so the opportunity to observe them in their natural habitat was a real treat.

My chief finding was that old Republican men like to touch each other: a hand laid lightly on the forearm or bicep, a pat on the back— ceremonies that seemed similar to dogs sniffing each other.

Cultural insights aside, if one were interested in substance, the debate was a disappointment. The candidates were not allowed to talk to one another, and the debate was only an hour long. The questions were necessarily broad, and the responses were often truncated to U.S. Rep. Nathan Deal McAnswers—usually couched in conservative argot designed to make the candidates acceptable, if not outstanding.

Each candidate’s main task seemed to be to reinforce a central catch-phrase. One candidate (significantly, I’ve forgotten

S O U P S

M

Wi-Fi Available

8

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 3, 2010

which one) called himself the “jobs governor.” Austin Scott talked of walking across Georgia (he cited actual miles, but again…) and talking to concerned citizens.

Aside from the odd burrs, the evening was without kerfuffle. Unanimity ruled, and on most of the issues, the candidates were in lockstep: no to “Obamacare”; no to inter-basin transfer of water; no new taxes; yes to greater governmental efficiency.

The effect was deadening. While candidates are bound to present themselves as one-stop shopping solutions, one hopes for a bit of discernment. Instead, there was a reliance on tried-and-maybe-at-leasthalf-true bromides that win elections: small government equals good government; cut spending; no new money for education: cut the waste and return control of the classrooms to parents.

The candidates, evidently, are running to establish a government that gets government out of government. They want to be analogous to the animal in The Restaurant at the End of the Universe who comes to the diner’s table, extols the tenderness of his hindquarters, and upon receiving the patron’s order, says, “Very good, sir. Now, I’ll just nip out and shoot myself.”

There were points of difference that emerged, but these were idiosyncratic. Nathan Deal seemed to disavow his

Soles4Souls is a charity that collects new or gently-worn shoes and provides them free of charge to people in need.

Masada Leather and Outdoor is now accepting shoes and monetary donations for Soles4Souls to send to Haiti.

Bring your new or gently worn shoes to

Masada 238 East Clayton Street or a monetary donation to aid in the shipping costs.

www.soles4souls.org

association with the birthers: calling for President Obama to release his birth certificate, he said, was merely complying with the requests of his constituents. He, himself, did not necessarily believe that Obama was not born a U.S. citizen.

In spite of a certain pique, Deal seemed to want to have his blancmange and eat it, too. The congressman’s principled waffling, though, was upstaged by the 18th-century posturings of Ray McBerry, “the only ’states’ rights’ candidate for governor” and the “only candidate who’s not a career politician,” though I’d maintain that repeatedly running for the office of governor makes one a politician—just not a successful one.

Anyway, in a bizarre high point of the debate, McBerry asserted Georgia’s right to nullify all federal laws not specifically approved of by the state, an issue that was, I thought, settled in 1832… or 1865, at the latest.

This last date stayed on my mind, so I hit the Internet to research Mr. McBerry. Turns out he’s on the board of directors of the League of the South (www.dixienet.org), an organization that espouses the states’ right to secede from the Union.

The organization has been labeled a “racist hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a charge countered by McBerry in a Mar. 7, 2009 article in the Augusta Chronicle. “People are more and more concerned about the illegal immigration issue and insecurity with the federal government,” McBerry said. “We are not a racial group.”

Okay… good enough for me… I guess. The entire debate, at the last, was a wrangle of candidates attempting to present themselves as falling within the parameters of acceptability.

There was little room to discuss ideas; the candidates merely wanted to pass the litmus test. The only opportunities seized were by those (McBerry and Deal) hoping to appeal to the fringe.

As an anthropological experiment, I enjoyed the evening.

When I got home, though, I took down my copy of Moby Dick and read the chapter “The Awful Whiteness of the Whale”: “…is it, that as in essence, whiteness is not so much a color as the visible absence of color…; is it for these reasons that there is such a dumb blankness, full of meaning, in a wide landscape of snows—a colorless, all-color of atheism from which we shrink?”

Well… I certainly felt shorter.

Sam Prestridge

Power to the Party People The Washington Street Liberation Army Mobilizes

W

Social activism isn’t hard to do, the WSLA says, and breaking down barriers to participation is a vital group mission.

With over 400 members, the workload, which might normally require a full-time employee or a gang of retirees, is never a “deal breaker.” For example, following the recent devastation in Haiti, WSLA reacted simply by setting up a homemade Doctors Without Borders donation box at Ciné (the headquarters for the group’s weekly “socialist movie nights”) that raised well over $100 in its first evening.

WSLA member Danielle Robarge, a webmaster at UGA, marshaled the group’s “Sponsor a Family” campaign through Project Safe by posting a wish list of gifts onto the Facebook page. “People sometimes can only do so much,” says Robarge in an email, and the use of the social networking site allows Army members to choose a level of involvement that fits their schedules.

Ryan Lewis

hat would happen if Monty Python ran the Peace Corps? It might look a lot like the Washington Street Liberation Army, a Facebook group and gang of socialist bogeymen roughly organized by longtime Athenians Ryan Lewis and Andy Rusk.

Rusk, a carpenter in the film industry, and Lewis, a graphic designer, formed the group as a response to right-wing hackles raised by Congressman Paul Broun, Jr.’s “steamroller of socialism” campaign and as “a lens through which to view the conservative backlash” fomenting in “post-Obama America.” Rusk and Lewis wanted to raise an army of “guys that Paul Broun supporters love to hate”: liberals. But instead of holding death panels and stripping away gun rights, their “socialist army,” a mix of townies and “creative weirdos,” holds food drives and takes blankets to homeless people.

“I’m not a socialist, or a communist, and I don’t think anybody in the group is—if they are, then more power to them.

We’re just throwing it back in [conservatives’] faces,” says Rusk.

At first, just a small group carpooling to our U.S. representative’s health care town hall meetings, the Army gained traction both locally and nationally after video of Lewis shaking a bag of his kidney stones at Broun went viral, even scoring views on MSNBC. Sensing the potential of the newly formed network of activists, the group boosted its theatrics by donning berets and lifting graphic elements from Black Panther/ Che Guevara-style counterculture for their propaganda.

In less than six months of existence, the WSLA has become a force for civic good—all without giving up their “incurable smartass” status. By mixing fundraising with disco (a dance party and canned food drive to benefit AIDS Athens) and participation with rewards (one-inch logo buttons), they’ve made “activism available to the Washington Street kids.” In an email, Clarke County Commissioner Kelly Girtz commended the WSLA for their ability to “engage in issues discussion with some playful ’wink and nod’ rhetoric without veering into discussion-poisoning territory” and welcomed the put-to-gooduse theatrics.

This winter the army declared a “War on Christmas”: they delivered cooked meals to the Athens Area Homeless Shelter, collected toys in a partnership drive with AIDS Athens and sponsored a Project Safe family. And as temperatures turned freezing in early January, Army volunteers hauled firewood, bottled water and blankets up to the Lexington Road homeless camp known as tent city.

As to whether or not the Army is concerned about duplicating services or stepping on the toes of non-profits, Rusk says he doesn’t want to get in the way of or trump the work others do. Although Lewis likes to think of the Army as an “immediate response team,” the WSLA doesn’t believe they could ever fill gaps in needs; they’re just creating a comfortable, familiar forum of activism for a crowd that isn’t usually civically involved.

“There’s a lot of young people in Athens who don’t really move far enough outside their circles to get involved, be it political or humanitarian,” Rusk says.

Volunteer buttons for the WSLA’s recent Project Safe initiative, part of the group’s “War on Christmas.”

The page and the group have become, as far as issues and activism are concerned, a “clearinghouse of ideas,” according to Rusk. Members can propose projects on the site, hash out logistics with interested parties and then take it to the streets.

Current ideas floating around: a community garden; a bugle corps; a “Tornado of Toiletries” campaign collecting hygienic products for homeless women; and even firearm safety classes for this pinko commie fighting force.

Ultimately, if you want people to get active, you’ve got to make it attractive, say Rusk and Lewis. Many WSLA members weren’t previously into activism because they found it boring, they weren’t comfortable with religious organizations or they hadn’t yet found the right gateway. “If you’re going to have a toy drive and you want young people to get hip to it, don’t do it at a church at 10 in the morning—do it a bar on a Friday night,” Rusk says.

Since the “nexus of the group is political,” its members plan on turning their eyes to local elections, but not in a traditional, political party-driven manner. Army members will use the Facebook page and the network to discuss candidates and issues. Rusk, who ran for mayor of Athens in 2006 as “the no bullshit candidate,” says he intends for there to be plenty of open forum time before the weekly film screenings. And while Lewis plans to voice his opinions on who should be mayor and why, he says he’d be disappointed if members didn’t think it was their duty to figure it all out on their own.

Rusk and Lewis admit it’s preposterous for anyone to want to court a WSLA endorsement. For one, if the WSLA agrees with you, they will loudly agree, attracting the attention of voters who may not get the button/beret humor. They would hate for that to hinder a candidate they want to get behind. Second, if they disagree with you, they will loudly disagree. If you mess up as a candidate, they will turn on you.

“Getting the WSLA involved can be a double-edged sword,” Lewis says. Nonetheless, a WSLA member, as yet unnamed, will run for the ACC Commission in an as-yet-unnamed district— though not with any proper affiliation to the group. Mayoral candidate Brandon Shinholser has joined the Facebook group, and after reading about the Army in The Red and Black, UGA student and mayoral candidate Glenn Stegall contacted Lewis.

Although he hasn’t officially announced his candidacy, Spencer Frye is Lewis and Rusk’s pick for mayor. Frye trekked up to tent city with the WSLA, and the experience, in addition to other interactions with Frye, the executive director of Habitat for Humanity, “impressed the hell” out of Rusk. Lewis, who says a Nancy Denson or Charlie Maddox mayorship will happen “over [his] dead body,” has donated his graphic design skills to the unofficial Frye campaign.

He is prepared to lend more than that to the prospective campaign of his choice for Paul Broun’s Georgia U.S. Congressional District 10 seat: Rusk. Though Rusk insists he has no interest in running for office, Lewis has continued his push to “draft” him to run against the WSLA’s bête noire. Might Rusk change his mind? “That’s a good question,” says Lewis. “I don’t know… what kind of person would it take to beat Paul Broun and be decent? On paper, Andy seems like the perfect guy for that. It sort of seems perfect—he might end up killing me for this, but whatever.”

Who does the rest of the WSLA want to see in office?

While neither Lewis nor Rusk would ever speak for the group, Rusk has some general ideas for what the Washington Street Liberation Army wants for Athens: they want to see Star Wars on a big screen again; they want a return to the dollar PBR; they probably don’t want people sleeping in tents because they don’t have any other place to go; and they don’t want children spending Christmas in homeless shelters on Barber Street.

“For all the bravado, all the machismo and the funny hats— it’s just people who care enough about this town to work toward the common good and wise enough to have fun doing it,” says Rusk.

Andre Gallant

FEBRUARY 3, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

9

miscellany Out and About Around Athens Street Talk: With the holidays hunkered firmly behind us, Athens is poised to take advantage of local happenings. Last week, the community came together for several benefits for Haiti, music fans awaited Caledonia’s liquor license reinstatement, and the Mental Health Benefit art auction continued its tradition of raising both cash and awareness, while giving local artists some much-needed exposure.

IKE&JANE (706)850 1580

Art Speak: The Loft Art Supplies, which relocated from Jackson to Baxter Street some time back, has been replaced by a tanning salon (and clothing boutiques Menagerie and Mary have both vacated their prime Clayton Street spots). Janet Geddis has new photographs on display at Flicker, and David Hale (our cover artist last week), with fellow artists Dustin Hill and Nash Hogan, will remodel the space next to their new Broad Street tattoo shop, Anchor Tattoo, into a gallery co-op. Hale says: “We are hoping to be a big part of the local community and work towards sustainability in our studio practices.”

Don’t miss “Myths & Legends: Works on Paper

by Andy Warhol” at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center (through Apr. 2).

Learn “How to Properly Price Your Art” at the ACC Library (2/6); and take the kids to “Family Day: Pop-up Valentines,” at the Lyndon House Arts Center (2/13).

(2/9 & 2/10), a display of Sally Walker’s fossil collection and Raymond FreemanLynde’s “T. Rex Wanna Cracker?” and a lecture by anthropologist John Hawks titled “The Neanderthal Genome Project,” followed by a panel discussion of “What Does It Mean to Be Human?” (2/11). For the full schedule of lectures and events, which are free and open to the public, please go online to www.darwin day.uga.edu.

And soon after, join the tens of thousands who will look skyward for the 13th annual Great Backyard Bird Count (2/12–2/14). Go to www.birdsource.org/gbbc/ to find out how

Food News: The Athens Darwin Days, a yearly celebration of the life and work of Charles Darwin, will Farmers Market is one be held on the UGA campus Feb. 8–12. of nine Georgia markets featured in the Farmers to participate and, more importantly, how to Market Cookbook: A Fresh Look at Local ID local species and learn which birds are on Flavor, which will be released in March. the Audubon watchlist.

On Saturday night, celebrate local food culture at Dancing to the Beet, P.L.A.C.E.’s Culture Clash: Opt for the classical sounds of (Promoting Local Agriculture and Cultural German pianist and UGA artist in residence Experience) first Saturday night fundraiser, Benjamin Moser at the Ramsey Concert Hall with DJ Mahogany, at Farm 255 at 11 p.m. on Friday night or get country with duo Wilson (2/6).

Fairchild—sons of the Statler Brothers’ Harold On Sunday afternoon attend the Mardi and Don Reid—opening for George Jones at Gras Lunch at the Melting Point to benefit the Classic Center (2/5), and take in Shruti: the Friends of Advantage Behavioral Health Melodies of India, an evening of Indian culSystems. They’re serving up a low country boil ture featuring flute, violin and classical Indian and the funky fusion sounds of JazzChronic. dance performances and an exhibition on Indian social issues, at Ramsey Hall (2/12).

Lit. Crit.: Borders will host readings by Joan Think swinging ‘60s in Stateside and British Koonce, an associate professor at UGA, whose style in film: A Single Man and An Education new story collection Integrity in a Box of open at Ciné (2/5). The Found Footage Chocolates sounds as light as Precious (2/4); Festival begins the same night, and later in local educators Cindy Boerma and Deena the week, UGA professor Christine Haase will Eberhardt, who have compiled children’s discuss “Violent Visions: The Dystopian Cinema quotations in We Don’t Wear Pajamas at My of Michael Haneke” (2/9).

House! and Sherri Goggins, who has written a new cookbook, Home Plate, (2/7), and Dr. Be Mine: And do not let an unplanned Joan Curtis, who has tackled Managing Sticky Valentine’s day kill the romance! Start schemSituations at Work (2/9). In honor of Georgia ing now. Drool over sexy menus around town, Day (2/12), Atlanta author William J. Morton will come to the ACC Library to discuss his new make a date with your loneliest chum, or hit book, The Story of Georgia’s Boundaries (2/13). up Vision Video for a five-for-five of the sappiest—or sickest—film romances you can find. m Eco Chic: Mid-month, UGA will celebrate Harold and Maude? Blue Velvet? I’m yours.

Darwin Days with lectures on fish by Alaskan artist Ray Troll, author of Rapture of the Deep Elaine Ely misc@flagpole.com

10

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 3, 2010

grub notes Meatballs to the Wall Focus: When the first banner for Totonno’s Famous Meatballs (720 Hawthorne Ave.) appeared in the long, narrow building at the corner of Hawthorne Avenue and Oglethorpe/Tallassee, on the space that once upon a time housed What’s Cooking Mexican Restaurant, one could easily have dismissed it as an experiment by the sign-printing company that occupied the building most recently. It’s not exactly a traditional restaurant space, and the idea of an eatery devoted to nothing but meatballs seemed bizarre, even after it came out that the folks behind this new business were Stefano Volpi and Cristina Spadea (both of La Dolce Vita). Maybe in New York, as a friend of mine pointed out, such a focused concept can work, but in Athens, in a location that’s somewhat weird to begin with, it seemed even stranger and more unlikely. All that is true, plus the dining room, which contains only a few tables despite the space continuing on toward the back of the building, is kind of depressing, with baskets of cut-rate ketchup packets and a few copies of In Style magazine serving as decor. But provided you are a carnivore and ready for some take-out, Totonno’s succeeds at the task it has set out for itself.

The menu is, as would be expected, minimal. You can get meatballs plain (to add to whatever you like at home), on spaghetti with tomato sauce, in a sandwich, fried or on a Caesar salad, plus a few sides (fries, onion rings, green salad, garlic bread) and desserts (chocolate-chip cookies, gelato). Period.

You also get your choice of beef, turkey, pork and lamb as far as the main protein involved in each meatball, or a sampler of all four. The key here is that the meatballs be good; and it turns out they are, although some are better than others. I find the beef and the turkey …meaty, mushroomy fine—plenty moist, sizable, not lacking in flavor—but for and delicious… real deliciousness you want the pork or, though it comes at an extra charge, the lamb, which is best of all. The other three will run you $1.65 each ordered plain; the lamb bumps the price up to $2.15, but, my, is it worth it, with a perfect, delicate texture and a serious punch of taste. The sandwich is tasty but utterly disintegrates early on in the process. You may be better purchasing your own, heartier sub roll with which to construct one. The pasta is unambitious and yet quite a step up from the standard noodles and red sauce served most places, with an al dente texture and the acidity of fresh tomatoes. Volpi is, as usual, buzzing about, making sure customer service is tippy-top. Will Totonno’s succeed? It certainly seems capable of doing so, and its emphasis on well-sourced, happy meats is refreshing and welcome. Totonno’s accepts credit cards and is open for lunch and dinner every day.

Taste of the Week: I know I just wrote about White Tiger Gourmet (217 Hiawassee Ave.), but the news that Don Chambers and Jim Wilson have recently ventured into the pie business (Pirate Pies) and that one could obtain these creations at that restaurant was too much to resist. Fruit pies have been spotted, but meat pies are available weekends, including at Night Tiger on Fridays and Saturdays from 6 to 8 p.m. The price tag was a little hard to swallow—$9 for a slice of meat pie, no sides included—but only before actually sampling a chicken pie in a gorgeous biscuit crust on a recent horrible rainy evening. Readers, I do not believe in perfume, but if Chambers and Wilson could bottle the fragrance of this pie, I would spritz it on daily. The aroma alone was nearly worth the cash outlay and, if I’m being honest, beat out the taste by a little bit. Still, the flavor is complex, meaty, mushroomy and delicious, with a nice thick crust that has a hint of sweetness without overdoing it on the honey. When paired with a few pieces of dark chocolate studded with 1000 Faces coffee beans, it should be a more than adequate meal for most appetites.

L

O IVE

N

G STA

E

Shelly Garrett’s

The Laughter Continues

Saturday, February 27 at 8 p.m.

Call, click or stop by the Box Office 706.357.4444 www.ClassicCenter.com 300 N. Thomas Street Downtown Athens

T a

Productions in the Stage Play Series are made possible by our sponsor:

Introducing the iPad

Our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price.

Preorder yours now at Peachmac.

macs • ipods • software • service • business solutions What Up?: High-five to The Grit for not only finally instituting take-out containers, which are a huge improvement on the previous paper plate plus sheet of aluminum foil, but making sure they’re biodegradable as well. While the likelihood of these things decomposing in your home compost is small, the chances they’ll break down someday, even in a landfill, are higher than for their styrofoam counterparts, plus they’re much better equipped for holding the leftovers of a golden bowl.

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

Hillary Brown food@flagpole.com

FEBRUARY 3, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

11

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

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

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

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

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.

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) Pedro Almodóvar’s latest film, starring his muse, Penélope Cruz, unfolds like a Hitchcockian telenovela. A deceptively mysterious film—a synopsis cannot quite do it justice. This latest film has finally given me a long-overdue reason to delve deeper into this acclaimed auteur’s back catalog. If, like me, you are behind on your Almodóvar, you will not find any better place to start than here.

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

CRAZY HEART (R) Jeff Bridges is being positioned for his fifth Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of hard-living country music singer Bad

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

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 as Tommy, a recent parolee who moves in with his sister (Sigourney Weaver) and her family. How does the fam

Look, I really don’t care what they call this in France. 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

M OVIE L ISTI NG S

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

ACC LIBRARY (706-613-3650)

The Eyes of Me (NR) 7:00 (Th. 2/4)

BEECHWOOD (706-546-1011)

12

Sherlock Holmes (PG-13) 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00 Tooth Fairy (PG) 1:30, 4:10, 7:00, 9:30 When in Rome (PG-13) 1:00, 3:15, 5:30, 7:45, 10:00

Beechwood movie times are only accurate through Feb. 4.

Visit www.flagpole.com for updated times.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (PG) 7:20 Avatar 3D (PG-13) 4:30, 8:00 Blind Side (PG-13) 4:15, 9:30 The Book of Eli (R) 4:05, 7:05, 9:45 Edge of Darkness (R) 4:10, 7:10, 9:50 Extraordinary Measures (PG) 4:20, 7:05, 9:35 It’s Complicated (R) 4:15, 7:00, 9:40 Legion (R) 4:25, 7:25, 9:45 Lovely Bones (PG-13) 4:00, 7:00, 9:55 Sherlock Holmes (PG-13) 4:00, 7:00, 9:55 Tooth Fairy (PG) 5:25, 7:45, 10:00 When in Rome (PG-13) 5:15, 7:30, 9:50

CINÉ (706-353-3343)

CARMIKE 12 (706-354-0016)

Georgia Square Five movie times are only accurate through Feb. 4. Visit www.flagpole.com for updated times.

2012 (PG-13) 4:35, 8:00 Armored (PG-13) 5:20, 7:40, 10:00 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (PG) 5:10 Fantastic Mr. Fox (PG) 5:15 Law Abiding Citizen (R) 7:35, 10:10 Ninja Assassin (R) 7:50, 10:15 Planet 51 (PG) 5:25, 7:45, 10:05

Carmike 12 movie times are only accurate through Feb. 4.

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, 4:00, 7:45 Avatar (PG-13) 12:00, 3:30, 7:15 (no 7:15 show Th. 2/4) The Book of Eli (R) 1:30, 4:15, 7:00, 9:50 Edge of Darkness (R) 1:15, 4:10, 7:05, 9:40 Extraordinary Measures (PG) 1:30, 4:20, 7:05, 9:35 Legion (R) 1:30, 4:15, 7:10, 9:40 The Lovely Bones (PG-13) 1:15, 4:10, 7:05, 10:00 Nine (PG-13) 1:45, 4:30, 7:05, 9:45

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 3, 2010

(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.

DEAR JOHN (PG-13) More Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook) and more Lasse Hallstrom (Chocolat) could mean saccharine overload with this tearjerker about a soldier, John Tyree (Channing Tatum), who falls in love with a gal, Savannah Lynn Curtis (the Amanda Seyfried), while home on leave. But the

Broken Embraces (R) 4:15, 7:00, 9:45 (W. 2/3–Th. 2/4) An Education (PG-13) 5:00, 7:15 (starts F. 2/5) Fantastic Mr. Fox (PG) 3:00 (Sa. 2/6–Su. 2/7) Found Footage Festival (NR) 8:00, 10:00 (F. 2/5) The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus (PG-13) 9:30 (new times F. 2/5: midnight (F. 2/5 only) & 2:30 (Sa. 2/6–Su. 2/7) A Single Man (PG-13) 5:15, 7:30, 9:45 (no 9:45 show Su. 2/7) (starts F. 2/5) That Evening Sun (PG-13) 4:30, 7:15 (W. 2/3–Th. 2/4)

GEORGIA SQUARE 5 (706-548-3426)

TATE CENTER THEATER (706-542-6396)

Good Hair (PG) 3:00, 5:15, 7:30, 9:45 (F. 2/5–Su. 2/7) Hairspray (PG) 8:00 (Th. 2/4)

terrorist attacks of 9/11 cause him to reenlist, an act that puts long-distance strain on their relationship. Thank goodness for Richard Jenkins, whose reassuring presence as John’s distant dad just might be enough to make this drivel tolerable.

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.

EDGE OF DARKNESS (R) See Movie Pick.

THE EYES OF ME (NR) Formerly titled Keep Your Ear on the Ball, this documentary tracks a year in the life of four blind teens—Chas, Denise, Meagan and Isaac—as they attend the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) and struggle to fit in, date, prepare for college, and do anything else a teenager does. Director Keith Maitland was the DGA trainee on Woody Allen’s Small Time Crooks and Joel Schumacher’s Tigerland.

EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES (PG) John and Aileen Crowley (a doughy Brendan Fraser and TV’s “Felicity,” Keri Russell) have three lovely kids. Sadly, eight-year-old Megan and six-year-old Patrick have Pompe disease. In his search for a cure, John seeks out Dr. Robert Stonehill (Harrison Ford), a researcher who is well-ahead of his colleagues regarding some enzyme replacement gobbledygook. The only truly extraordinary measure about this movie is

paying to see something offered daily for free on Lifetime.

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.

FOUND FOOTAGE FESTIVAL (NR) The Found Footage Festival returns to Athens. This collection of random, hilarious home movies, training videos, ill-advised PR stunts and more— discovered by curators Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher (The Onion and “Late Show with David Letterman”) at garage sales, thrift stores, warehouses and dumpsters nationwide—will make your week, guaranteed. Recommended for anyone jonesing for MST3K –style laughs. I was only able to see it once, but the FFF still ranks as one of the funniest experiences of my life. Do not miss this event. l FROM PARIS WITH LOVE (R) Pierre Morel, who directed Taken, the surprise winter hit of 2009, puts an extremely game John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers through the frantic action paces as an American spy and an employee from the U.S. Embassy trying to foil a terrorist attack on the City of Lights. The trailer looks incredibly fun; Travolta has not appeared this carelessly appealing since the late ‘90s. As with Morel’s earlier films, Gallic action auteur Luc Besson shared the writing duties.

FROZEN (R) A trio of snowboarders— Joe (X-Men’s Shawn Ashmore), Parker (Emma Bell) and Dan (Kevin Zegers)— are trapped on a chairlift after the ski resort has shut down for the week. With their lives on the line, the three must decide whether to stay put and freeze or face something potentially more perilous. Writer-director Adam Green previously excited the horror genre crowd with 2006’s Hatchet. His new film sounds Open Water-ish. Kane “Jason Voorhees” Hodder appears presumably as some degree of psycho.

GOOD HAIR (PG-13) Chris Rock is on a mission to answer his daughter’s innocent query, “Daddy, how come I don’t have good hair?” The talented standup comedian travels around the world. He visits Atlanta, Beverly Hills and India. He talks with men and women, celebrities and everyday folk.

He confronts beauty care professionals, those in the know and those who think they know.

HAIRSPRAY (PG) 2007. The immensely charming picture is powered by the contagious bounce of big-haired, big-boned lead, newcomer Nikki Blonsky, and songs so catchy you could dance to them. In 1960s Baltimore, Tracy Turnblad (Blonsky) shows everyone some new steps when she integrates homegrown dance program “The Corny Collins Show.”

Brimming with optimism, not cynical nostalgia, Hairspray is all smiles.

THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS (PG-13) Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) 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. The sudden appearance of the charming Tony ( Heath 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.

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.

LAW ABIDING CITIZEN (R) Despite a couple of spurts of over-the-top violence, Law Abiding Citizen should please those moviegoers looking for the latest generic thriller that puts a couple of big name stars (Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler) through the predictable paces. Butler works too hard as Clyde Shelton, a mild-mannered guy who goes all Death Wish meets Jigsaw after the justice system fails to adequately punish the guys who killed his wife and daughter. Clyde’s elaborate revenge scheme, which crosses from movie farfetched to patently unbelievable by the big reveal, targets the entire municipal government of Philadelphia.

LEGION (R) An early favorite for worst of the year, Legion is all kinds of bad, except sadly, for the kind it takes to be any fun. Apparently, God is fed up with mankind, again, and he tasks his baddest-ass angels, Michael (Paul Bettany) and Gabriel (Kevin Durand), with humanity’s extermination. But Michael has a change of heart and decides to protect man’s last hope, the unborn child of single waitress Charlie (Adrianne Palicki). Holing up in a roadside diner/service station named Paradise Falls with your typical survivors—gruff father and son (Dennis Quaid and Lucas Black), a hook-handed believer (Charles S. Dutton), a quasi-thug (Tyrese Gibson) and a yuppie couple (Jon Tenney and Kate Walsh) and their surly teen daughter (Willa Holland)—the band must tough out an onslaught of the possessed zombie-types until Charlie’s child can be born.

LORDS OF NATURE—LIFE IN THE LAND OF GREAT PREDATORS (NR) 2006. This hi-def documentary examines whether or not large predators—wolves, cougars and the like—are the key to restoring America’s wild ecosystems to full health. Narrated

by Peter Coyote, Lords of Nature was an official selection of the American Conservation Film Festival and the Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival. Part of the fifth Annual Animal Voices Film Festival, sponsored by UGA’s Speak Out for Species, Students for Environmental Action, and the UGA Law Student Animal Legal Defense Fund Chapter. For more information, visit http://www.uga.edu/sos/filmfest.

THE LOVELY BONES (PG-13) Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) was only 14 when she was brutally raped and murdered on Dec. 6, 1973. She had never even been kissed when her skeevy neighbor, George Harvey (Stanley Tucci), lured her into an underground den he had built under a cornfield and took her innocence and her life. Rather than going on to heaven, Susie remains to watch as her family struggles through the lack of closure left by Susie’s disappearance and presumed murder. Readers of the book might be disappointed by everything director Peter Jackson and his award-winning co-writers, Fran Walsh

Biel, Justin Long, Gary Oldman, Sean William Scott and John Cleese.

SHERLOCK HOLMES (PG-13) Holmes (the never disappointing Robert Downey Jr.) and Dr. Watson (a game Jude Law) must stop evil Lord Blackwood (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.

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.

THAT EVENING SUN (PG-13) A slow, calculated study of rural aging in the modern South, That Evening Sun is going down on ancient Abner Meecham (Hal Holbrook). Placed in a home by his lawyer son, Paul (Walton Goggins), Abner escapes and returns to his homestead, only to discover that a new tenant has taken over the family farm. Sometimes, genuine Southern movies hit it big; most times the rest of the nation does not connect as deeply.

If ever a film deserved wider success, it is That Evening Sun, an exemplar of great, artful cinema that could have been produced by Hollywood yet could only be born and raised in the South.

TOOTH FAIRY (PG) The mere presence of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson means Tooth Fairy will not be the worst family flick 2010 will offer (besides, The Spy Next Door is much worse).

Johnson’s magnetism will pull both parent and child through this hour and 40 minutes of silly fluff. Johnson stars as a minor league hockey enforcer, Derek “Tooth Fairy” Thompson, who is sentenced to perform the duties of his nickname after crushing the dreams of his girlfriend’s daughter.

TO SAVE A LIFE (PG-13) Jake Taylor (Randy Wayne) has it all. He’s a high school hard-court superstar who has the girl and a college scholarship.

But when he can’t save his childhood friend, Roger (Robert Bailey, Jr.), who commits suicide right in front of Jake, the big man on campus risks everything to stop the next Roger from making a tragic decision.

WHEN IN ROME (PG-13) Kristen Bell is a young, ambitious New Yorker who has not been lucky in love. All of that changes when she steals coins from a magical fountain in Rome.

Now she has more silly suitors—a too tanned Dax Shepard; an Italian Will Arnett; Jon Heder the magician; and Danny Devito—than she wants, when all she needs is one, Nick (Josh Duhamel). Romantic comedies that use actual magic as a plot point might be the most insufferable of the romcom sub-genres WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE (PG) It is quite impressive what filmmaker Spike Jonze and cowriter Dave Eggers do with Maurice Sendak’s beloved 339 words. They expand upon his wild world, populated by giant-headed monsters and a boy in a wolfsuit named Max (tremendous little Max Records), with the same imaginative recklessness as Sendak.

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

Drew Wheeler

Authentic Mexican Food Cooked Fresh Daily

al rigin Athens O he ta of ies e 1983 sinc

La T F

and Philippa Boyens, leave out, but still, the film is lovely, and several of the performances—Ronan and Tucci, especially—are top-notch.

THE MESSENGER (R) Staff Sergeant William Montgomery (Ben Foster) is a decorated war hero. Upon his return home, he is assigned to the Casualty Notification service. Along with his fellow officer, Captain Tony Stone (Woody Harrelson), Will is tasked with delivering the worst news a soldier’s N.O.K. (next of kin) could ever hear.

Will has no desire to do this miserable job but follows his orders like a good soldier would. Eventually, he chafes at the stringent procedures in place and begins comforting the soldier’s families as best he can. However, one of the N.O.K.s, Olivia Pitterson (Samantha Morton), offers a unique challenge as Will finds himself drawn to this widowed mother.

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

Against my better judgment, I really am looking forward to this bloody martial arts pic.

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

$

by Don’t Be Fooled , Fake Imitations nal igi Or e th Come Back to s! en th A of ta es LaFi

e en i v n Co

e st sid nt W

1 2 Margaritas 3 Margaritas

during Lunch 12-2pm with Kevin Flemming playing Classical Guitar

Regular House

$

Wednesday

LIVE MUSIC

Mondays

Hardshell Tacos

$

on on Hawthorne e L o c ati

The Westside is the BEST Side!

995 Hawthorne Ave.

Tuesdays

Down the road from the YMCA in the Bell’s Shopping Center

House

706.548.4261 Open Mon-Sat

HORSIN' AROUND

FOR HOPE

Hope Haven's annual G2NO event

Thursday, February 18, 2010 6:00pm - 9:00pm Athens Country Club Join us for cocktails, food, silent auction, casino games, and the most exciting horse races in Athens GA! Sponsorships available!

Tickets are $50 each

and can be purchased by contacting Hope Haven at 706-548-4361 or amy@hopehaven.net

XLIII ANNUAL

SUPER PARTY! SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7

$

3

6PM

TS ALDurL ingDRtheAF Game

GIVEAWAYS RAFFLE FOR PRIZES PLAY SUPER TRIVIA E DURING THE GAM

)

(Points count toward College Trivia Score

706.354.6655 196 Alps Rd. FEBRUARY 3, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

13

movie pick The Return of Mad Mel

Books? Clothes? Dinner? Music? Jewelry? Shoes?

You really CAN have it all.

BONGZILLA

14

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 3, 2010

EDGE OF DARKNESS (R) Welcome back, Mel Michael Kamen to contribute something Lethal Gibson! Sort of. Kind of. Edge of Darkness will Weapon-ish), and outside of the major players, not be enough to convince any rabid antithe supporting cast is distinctly, deservedly Gibsonites to shift their allegiances, but it unfamiliar. Most are not bad, but they are cershould be enough to bring some stragglers tainly not memorable either. back to the fold. Eight years ago was the last The unimpressive bit players matter little. time Gibson prowled the screen with his charThis movie might as well be a pilot for “The ismatic grin and twinkling, tortured eyes. No Mel Gibson Show,” where each week he plots wonder he had been written off as a conserva- payback on the baddies who killed his famtive Catholic crackpot who lost it somewhere ily. Older and grayer than last we looked, Mad around The Passion’s two-hundred-millionMel still gives good vengeful hero. Craven dollar mark. traces his unforgiving heritage back to William Now Gibson approaches the Edge of Wallace and “Mad” Max Rockatansky (and Darkness as Boston detective Thomas Craven.

Hamlet and whatever his fake Francis “The A widower, Craven dotes on his grown-up little Swamp Fox” Marion was called in The Patriot), girl, Emma (Bojana Novakovic), an MIT grad and the baddies best not forget it. The man working as a trainee for a giant Massachusetts did not suddenly forget how to express his R&D firm, Northmoor. When Emma visits dear grief through good old-fashioned bad-guy old dad and is gunned down in a supposed hit pounding, and he still knows how to turn his on the detective, Craven turns his professional crazy eyes on and off like they were wired to skills on her personal life, of which he knows an external switch. strangely little. The more Craven investigates Emma’s life, the more he begins to believe she was killed because of something she had discovered about Northmoor and her boss, Jack Bennett (Danny Huston).

Craven the detective teams up with Craven the grieving dad to investigate Bennett and uncovers a run-of-the-mill political thriller cover-up. An incomprehensible fixer, Jedburgh (Ray Winstone), befriends (i.e., does not kill) Mel Gibson and Bojana Novakovic Craven for wholly expected reasons of his own that are revealed late in the film.

Considering how the mysterious colors A pair of dark-suited federal spooks (Denis are added in a predictable paint-by-numbers O’Hare and David Aaron Baker) and a prefashion, what I found most fascinating, after sciently Republican Massachusetts senator Gibson’s fine return to acting form, was how (Damian Young), trapped in Bennett’s conpolitically antithetical Edge of Darkness seems spiratorial web, wind up in Craven’s vengeful to a cursory understanding of the Passion filmcrosshairs. In a widow’s peak-off between this maker’s worldview. One would expect a fasciscrew of receding-haired men, Huston’s Bennett tic “24”-fueled revenge fantasy rather than may win a close match over Gibson’s Craven, a middle-to-left conspiracy theory about the but even the least imaginative audience cahoots in which a private defense contractor member should have no trouble predicting the and the government are discovered by a whisfilm’s satisfying, if telegraphed climax. tleblower and a leftist environmentalist orgaWith its violent, bloody script co-written nization. If you expected Mad Mel and Jack

by Oscar winner William Monahan, Edge of Bauer to be best buds, you would be sorely Darkness strains to point out its familial conmistaken, according to Edge of Darkness. nections to The Departed. But director Martin Viewers’ feelings about Edge of Darkness Campbell, the proficient wrangler of Bond will certainly be colored by their opinions of adventures (Goldeneye, Casino Royale) who Gibson. Those still holding a grudge from The also helmed the 1985 BBC miniseries upon Passion and his well-publicized, vitriolic arrest which this new film is based, is a craftsman will not find anything of interest here. I was where Martin Scorsese is an artist, a differready to forgive and forget with Apocalypto, ence made quite apparent by Edge of Darkness. but despite its ultraviolence, it was too borFans of the TV serial are crying foul, of course, ing to completely convince me. Plus, I think I extolling the virtues of their beloved origineeded to see Gibson face-to-screen again to nal. Granted, I expect it could not have been truly bury the hatchet. Again, welcome back, worse, though star Bob Peck is no Gibson. At Mel. Please do not take so long between visits least Gibson’s Craven does not kiss his daughnext time. And while I am making pie-in-theter’s vibrator, like his predecessor did in writer sky requests, how about something a little Troy Kennedy-Martin’s six-episode BAFTA TV more humorous? I would even accept Lethal award winner. Howard Shore’s score punctuWeapon V, so long as Joe Pesci and Chris Rock ates scenes with hollow Hollywood melodrado not come back. matic stingers (too bad they could not get original composers Eric Clapton and the late Drew Wheeler

threats & promises Music News And Gossip Once again, your local music news served up hot and fresh. And so clean, clean. Get it all just below this line. Yeah, this one…

Just So There’s No Confusion: Last week I mentioned Maserati’s new record and the fact that Stevie Scarborough and Josh McCauley were appearing on it. Just to be clear: Maserati remains Coley Dennis, Matt Cherry and Chris McNeal. Scarborough and McCauley have both played essential roles in the band, but while they are guests on the record, the core trio is still responsible for the album and the majority of its compositional elements.

Sorry for any confusion this may have caused.

Studio Roundup Part One: Pigpen Studios has several projects underway in the form of new records by locals Five Eight, Parasite Shoes, Mike White · deadlydesigns.com

The Agenda Sounds of Silence and Atlanta bands Hog Tooth and Brothers Grey. Also on deck is a debut by the brand-new band Crane, which features Pigpen’s Daniel Collins and Patrick Ferguson (Five Eight). There are a couple of rehearsal rooms available at the studio’s Oneta Street location, and they’re also running a special $300 per day deal to record with Collins. Get more information over at www. pigpenstudios.net.

Studio Roundup Part Two: Chase Park Transduction has stepped up its mastering services by adding owner David Barbe and engineer Drew Vandenberg to its stable of mastering engineers. Long time mastering, um, master Jeff Capurso is still handling projects, too. Dig ‘em over at www.chaseparktransduction.com.

No Mic Tuesdays: Hip-hop promoters Tommy Valentine, Bobby Stamps and Elite tha Showstoppa have shut the doors on Mean Mic Entertainment’s months-old Mean Mic Tuesdays after moving the weekly event through two downtown venues, New Earth Music Hall and Flanagan’s Bar. Apparently, alcohol sales were not sufficient enough to maintain profitability. In other news, Mean Mic Entertainment will release a compilation, Mean Mic Tuesdays: Athens Hip-Hop Volume I, in the next few weeks through iTunes. Watch this space for further developments.

Do You Remember Rock & Roll Radio?: Have you ever wanted to grunt, guffaw and mispronounce names like “Cinemechanica” and “Thelonious” live on the radio? Now you can!

WUOG 90.5 FM is hosting its popular “Seize the Airwaves” event the weekend of Feb. 19–21. You may bring your own records, play live music over the air, read a book, talk or do whatever you want for only $10 an hour.

A trained DJ will stay with you the whole time so you won’t be at a loss when operating equipment, etc. All money raised will benefit the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Athens, which provides immediate shelter and care for homeless families in Athens and coordinates transportation, daycare, etc., while helping folks back to their feet. Get on the air by contacting affairs@wuog.org and learn more about the charity over at www. ihnathens.org.

BACKYARD TO NATURE

Advice! Ideas!

Skate Shop O F AT H E N S

Vision!

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

LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED

706-788-0559

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

50 GAINES SCHOOL ROAD · 706.543.6368

Back from the Past: Newly reformed Athens band The Agenda has steadily written new songs since deciding the members didn’t hate each other and being in a band is more fun than not being in one. The first five demos, released under the title Only the Young Die Young, are available to download for free over at www.fuckyeahtheagenda. tumblr.com. Just click through to that URL and scroll until you find the songs. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, let the band know what you think when they play Go Bar on Feb. 5 with American Cheeseburger.

n

Rest In Peace: Athens lost a good musician and a great man on Saturday, Jan. 30 when Kris Langley passed away. Kris was known around town for his band Television Buzz, his amazing sense of humor and his incredible bravery and determination in the face of leukemia. He left behind a wife, Claire, and a son, Willard. He will be sorely missed. [Jordan Stepp] Short Takes: Dusty Lightswitch will release its debut album on Feb. 24. Look for a full feature on the band closer to that date. Former Athens band Winter Sounds is moving back to town temporarily to record with Asa Leffer at Chase Park Transduction. Has anyone else noticed how good Titans of Filth is sounding lately? On the other hand, I’m not terribly sure that the previously twee-n-pop Gemini Cricket is believable in its new incarnation as a fuzzy garage band. There are also a couple of new tracks from the upcoming album by Werewolves available for listening over at www.myspace.com/athenswerewolves. I’ve always really dug this band, but these new recordings are easily heads and tails over previous recordings.

After the Party: A new alcohol-free, late-night dance club is now open at the old location of Level 131 (131 West Broad St.). The club, Aftermath, is open 1–5 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Free pizza will be served between 1:30 and 2:30 a.m., and DJ Sparks will be spinning. Owned by George “Ski” Wiatrowski and managed by Stacia Struck, the club is described by each as a place for “college kids to go blow off some steam” after a night of drinking in downtown Athens. A dress code will be in place, and Wiatrowski says it’s the same type of dress code that applies at several downtown bars east of Lumpkin Street, specifically “no ripped jeans.” Admission is $5 with a college ID and $10 to the general public, and you must be at least 18 to enter. Eventually, Aftermath plans to open on Thursday nights, too.

Gordon Lamb threatsandpromises@flagpole.com

A CANDY STORE WITH A VOLUME KNOB

We’re not

DEAD.

We just moved one floor closer to

HEAVEN

W 2/3

Of Legend / Circle in Flight / Kill the School / Harsh Flight

Th 2/4

Brother Brother / Shannon McArthur / Drew Dixon Black Belt Patriot (CD Release) Debut CD FREE with admission!

Plumnelle Moon Founder and the Invisibles / Drew Beskin w/ Special Guests

F 2/5

musicgoroundlilburn.com

770-931-9190 Buy Smart • Buy Used

S 2/6 T 2/9

See TASTYWORLD.NET for Private Party and Booking info 312 EAST BROAD STREET • 706-543-0797

AAA

Airport Express, Inc. 800.354.7874 • 404.767.2000 Call for reservations

AAA

www.aaaairportexpress.com Athens/UGA Schedule $ 12 Round Trips Daily

5 Off

Per ticket with coupon. Expires 2/28/10. $45 per person, one way.

Children Under 10 Ride Free PER Paying Adult You should arrive at the airport 90 minutes before your flight, allow more time for holidays.

FEBRUARY 3, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

15

record reviews QUIET HOOVES/ THE DREAM SCENE Split EP Party Party Partners For all the dull-headed obfuscation and willful amateurishness that many of the Secret Squirrel/ Party Party Partners bands shroud themselves in, that loose gang is lucky there’s some good music to be found: who’d stick around otherwise, besides friends?

Quiet Hooves guitarist Javier Morales is reportedly responsible for all the instrumentation on the Hooves half of this split EP. The jaunty “bigg boy” calls to mind some of The Beatles’ dalliances with early-American traditions like vaudeville and country— themselves founded on British forms.

And while Hooves vocalist Julian Bozeman has yet to write the great song he’s probably capable of, getting distracted by hazy ideas, most of this EP’s songs are pretty good, and that’s kind of great in its own way.

The Dream Scene is Morales’ outlet for more spacey, ethereal work, a place to dress up as Brian Eno. Like the Hooves half of this EP, and like the tunes of many other local bands, The Dream Scene’s songs flirt with big ideas but lack focus—stoners on the verge of revelation but pulled gigglingly back to Earth by attractive and distractive notions.

Chris Hassiotis Quiet Hooves is playing at the Caledonia Lounge on Thursday, Feb. 4.

OWEN PALLETT Heartland Domino Toronto omni-musician Owen Pallett is probably someone whose work you’ve heard before, though you may not know it. For years doing orchestral arrangements for other artists like Beirut, Grizzly Bear and Arcade Fire, he’s helped shape fellow musicians’ catalogs, becoming an indispensable but behind-the-scenes staple.

For Heartland, Pallett abandoned his solo moniker Final Fantasy, again mixing classical beauty with electronic skill, but this time unveiled.

Pallett’s buttery tenor melts over pizzicato strings, round brass and reedy woodwinds. Clarinet and baritone and cello poke through the blended textures as Heartland’s tracks slide from one to another like a stage musical’s.

16

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 3, 2010

But beautiful and benign aren’t the same thing. “E Is for Estranged,” for example, starts with creepy, stratospheric violin; just as Pallett has mastered pretty consonance, dissonance is of paramount importance in the musical language he speaks so fluently.

Likewise, “Lewis Takes Action” sounds like the incidental music from an old movie, where the winds and strings follow a character’s every step, tense where it’s suspenseful, and sweeping when he triumphs.

“The Great Elsewhere” is more electronic, peppered with machinegun-like effects. Pallett put a crawling keyboard ostenato part behind it, imbuing the song with a sense of feverish forward momentum. Virtuosic and nuanced, Pallett’s Heartland wields all musical weapons with a confidence that no longer needs to hide behind a pseudonym.

Julia Reidy

proclamation in the song’s chorus: “I’m the worst friend in the world! When you are down, I’m nowhere to be found.”

Chesnutt may not be around, but his songs still are. What a great gift! What a thing that Richman convinced and helped Chesnutt to record this album!

Chris Hassiotis Jonathan Richman is playing at the 40 Watt Club on Saturday, Feb. 6.

SPOON Transference Merge

VIC CHESNUTT Skitter on Take-Off Vapor Michael Stipe’s production of Vic Chesnutt’s first two albums Little and West of Rome gets a lot of attention, and rightfully so: he was able to identify genius songwriting, encourage its recording and get it on tape. Jonathan Richman, the consummate performer and former Modern Lover, performs the same role on Chesnutt’s Skitter on Take-Off. Though he and his drummer Tommy Larkin occasionally contribute some complementary instrumentation, Chesnutt’s most recent and final album stands as one of his best because, like his early albums, it gets down to the bone of his songs: Chesnutt’s primitive guitar and poetic lyrics, and not much else. The hushed and stark assessment of being given just one chance to live is found on “My New Life,” at least until its blunt and gnarled climax, while “Dick Cheney” casts Chesnutt as a folk trickster, one of his favorite roles.

Skitter on Take-Off was released last fall, just three weeks after his excellent At the Cut. Its collaborative nature—Chesnutt teamed up with members of Fugazi and Godspeed You! Black Emperor—was impressive, its songs epic. But letting that lush and dark album overshadow the relatively simple Skitter on Take-Off, recorded live and mostly on first takes, would be a dire mistake.

Skitter on Take-Off closes with two of Chesnutt’s strongest songs. The album’s final track, “Sewing Machine,” is easily the song with the credentials: a hazy mix of Southern familial nostalgia, perceptively impressionistic lyricism and poetic observation. But it’s “Worst Friend,” the penultimate track, which is Skitter on Take-Off’s most powerful. It’s a list poem running the gamut of human experience and characterization, and it captures Chesnutt at both his funniest and most poignant.

Vic Chesnutt took his own life in late December, and a Christmastime suicide might seem to back up the

Once again, the members of Spoon have proven themselves to be masters of restraint. Transference is effortlessly precise—meticulous without ever coming across as overworked. The band continues to prove itself as a crossover from the indie world to the mainstream, with a set of engaging tunes that are at once diverse, compelling and accessible.

What makes this band so special is its ability to craft songs that feel loose despite their thoughtful arrangements.

“Who Makes Your Money” is a perfect example of the band’s crafty subtlety.

Background vocals bubble with underwater echo, and occasionally the guitars are allowed to well and swirl like alien spacecraft, but then they’re gone.

In a snap, everything drops out of the mix except Brit Daniel’s urgent moan, a bass riff and a beat. No instrument or track is totally washed over in effects, and every note feels essential.

There are surprising dips in mood and pace on this album, from the sleazy shuffle of “I Saw the Light,” to the lovelorn melancholy of “Out Go the Lights” to the restless rock of “Trouble Comes Running.” Frontman Brit Daniel even offers up a McCartney-esque lullaby with “Goodnight Laura,” allowing his piano to tinkle melodically instead of pound away percussively (see “Written in Reverse” for the latter).

But, overall, this record is still distinctively Spoon, particularly on the more upbeat numbers; you get the usual steady, staccato upstrokes, the single-string leads and the rhythmic repetition. It’s all deceptively simple.

Michelle Gilzenrat

KEN WILL MORTON True Grit Sojourn Ken Will Morton places a bit less focus on the rock side of things this go round, reversing something he’s been tending toward for the past few

years. On True Grit, a lot of attention and care have been paid to his vocal work, a blessing for his distinctive rasp. There are a few more songs here that highlight his acoustic sensibilities, fleshed out with a bit of piano and brushed percussion. That’s not to say that he’s given up the rock guitar completely. True Grit is just a quieter album than you may be used to hearing from Morton.

“Don’t Feel Bad for Crying” is an attention-grabber with its piano-driven contemplations on opposing views and all of the wreckage that happens when people collide. “Some people bleed in torrents while others don’t bleed at all. And some people’s blood just boils cause they hate it all,” Morton croons in his trademark craggy, twang-tinged voice. It’s a theme that he explores throughout the record, especially on the album opener “True Grit.”

This record isn’t Morton’s best solo work, but it’s a decent addition to the Americana canon. No single track is utterly mind-blowing, and some of the songs are so similar sounding that they share a few lyrics or blend into one another. Morton’s got some hidden gems here, though, if you’re willing to stick around long enough to find them.

Jordan Stepp

YEASAYER Odd Blood Secretly Canadian Odd Blood, the eagerly awaited sophomore release from Brooklyn avant-pop prodigies Yeasayer, finds the band expanding adamantly in both more and less traditional directions. The band’s 2007 debut All Hour Cymbals was a blissed-out romp through psychedelic dance territory, all bass and Chris Keatings’ charismatic whining. This follow-up shows us a more experimental Yeasayer, sort of; it’s more electronic, stranger effects have been applied to even the simplest melodies and the layers upon layers of groans and blips build to a fever pitch.

Leadoff “The Children,” for example, features Keatings’ vocals sheathed in an unnerving effect that skews it an octave lower and an octave higher.

But song-structure-wise, Odd Blood comprises compositional styles gleaned directly from the likes of Duran Duran, The Clash and The Cure (“Rome,” “Madder Red”), and bears a striking resemblance, if fleetingly, even to Prince and, therefore, recent Of Montreal (“Love Me Girl”). The melodies prove more predictable, straight out of ‘80s pop anthems, and most songs rely on strong synth hooks to make their point.

It’s a warmer, fuzzier Yeasayer, though, to be fair, All Hour Cymbals’ songs like “2080” kind of had a moral, too. Odd Blood is both weirder and more conformist than All Hour Cymbals, but Yeasayer has never been ordinary, and this record makes a danceable statement that’s as risky as it is comforting.

Julia Reidy

Eddie austin

ALIBI FORMERLY SPIRITS PUB

NEVER A COVER!

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

PLAY KENO!

LIVE MUSIC EVERY WEEKEND!

SPECIAL OF THE WEEK:

MICHELOB LIGHT BUCKETS 10 7oz. bottles for $10!

FRI. FEB. 5th

FORWARD MOTION BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR BRITTANY!

SAT. FEB. 6tH

DJHIPMANE HOP

JOIN US MONDAY-SATURDAY! MON.

They Do It Their Way Screaming Females Are DIY Shred

M

usic is a video game is an MP3 is a record is a CD is a live show is the sound of a radio coming from a passing car.

What a difference a century makes; what was once available only when in proximity to real, live musicians is now re-contextualized through innumerable media into infinite moments. These moments vary in importance from total insignificance to “Oh, great, now I have to learn how to live my life again, because it has completely changed, forever.”

No wonder modern music eludes a dollar sign.

How we tangibly experience music ranges from the sicko fetishization of colored, etched, B-side vinyl singles to the novel (but genuine) dramatic joy of playing “Strawberry Fields Forever” on Beatles: Rock Band. For better or for worse, our experiences as of late have tended towards the latter, and by that I mean: a screen is usually somehow involved. That goes for the creators as well as the consumers. Don’t get it twisted: technology is a gift, and pretty damn fun to boot, but it remains at least a little impersonal. And unless we’re talking about Kraftwerk or something, music isn’t meant to be impersonal. It’s almost easy to forget the things that once astonished us as a culture: volume, presence, the congregating moment, being in a room watching musicians shred. The shredding, in this case, is key.

Screaming Females is a band that operates on this personal level. It’s a trio, with the following names, listed in alphabetical order: Mike Abbate, Jarrett Dougherty and Marissa Paternoster. They play the bass guitar, drums and electric guitar, respectively. Paternoster writes the lyrics and sings them.

And you want to see her sing them in person. You can obviously hear and watch anything that anyone has ever done on the Internet now, but a great deal of the Screaming Females’ appeal is in their live show. Because some things are meant to be witnessed in person, and the sound of Jarrett, Mike and Marissa playing music together is one of them. A squalling, hooky ball of kinetic energy, they eschew laptops, extraneous pedals and backing tracks. They are loud without being an affront to the senses and are unafraid of a groove. Their prodigious talents aren’t used for evil (read: wanking) but rather as an invitation to unselfconscious fun.

They made their name touring through basements and other low-lit, high-mold areas. They are responsible for their own artwork and, up until recently, they released their own albums.

But this is all business as usual to them. “People inquire all the time about our ‘DIY approach,’ says Dougherty. “Something must intrigue people about it.”

When asked if the Screaming Females are a political band, there is a point of dissent within the band. While Paternoster and Abbate demur from taking on a loaded label, Dougherty takes up the cause: “I had a great college professor once that talked about how people her age often say that young people aren’t involved in politics because they don’t vote in great numbers. She said that because she worked with young people she was able to see that young people now are more political than ever, in her opinion. All kinds of young people are making their voices heard through things such as their buying habits, such as becoming vegetarian or refusing to buy from large corporations. I’d like to think that Screaming Females as a political band is analogous to that.”

This, too, is key to understanding Screaming Females.

Because instead of obvious polemics, their politics are in the everyday activities of the band. Paternoster is a self-styled bandleader who wears fake-fur-lined coats, screams like torture and shreds on the electric guitar with such wild grit that names like Mascis, Sharrock or Nelson (as in Prince Rogers) are not thrown around wantonly. And she is self-freaking-taught.

“I like to take the Ken Kesey mode of politics, which was that instead of preaching to people about how they should act, individuals should act how they feel is right,” continues Dougherty. “And if how you act works out, then others will inquire and follow the steps that you took… One great example is that after we had an article about us in New York Magazine, a 15-year-old girl emailed me to tell me that she had set up a show at her parents’ house,” says Dougherty. “She had never even considered this a possibility before I mentioned something about how you can have the best shows in the world right at your house.”

Screaming Females being as great as they are is an amazing exclamation point at the end of the punk ethos: they did it themselves, on their own, and it’s not bad; in fact, it’s often awe-inspiring.

TUES.

POOL TOURNAMENT & TRIVIA with KEN KARAOKE with the singing cowboy

DIVA CONTEST STARTING FEB 9!

WED.

thurs.

BEER PONG with corey DARTS HIP HOP DJ OPen MIC SPECIAL GUEST COME OUT AND PLAY!

MON-FRI 2PM-2am • SAT 12pm-2am

50 Gaines school rd. • 706-549-1010

SPECIALS!

Jeff Tobias

WHO: Screaming Females, Witches, Jeff the Brotherhood, Dead Dog WHERE: Caledonia Lounge WHEN: Tuesday, Feb. 9, 9:30 p.m.

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

FEBRUARY 3, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

17

©2010 004070 - 11/09 American Family Mutual Insurance Company and its Subsidiaries American Family Insurance Company Home Office – Madison, WI 53783

AFOR LESS PERS O NAL TOUCH THAN YOU THOUGHT POSSIBLE. We give you the hands on, personal attention you’ve come to expect from American Family Insurance, at a price that might surprise you. That’s why more than 4 million policies call us family. With over 80 years of experience, our affordable auto insurance is one more reason why American Family Insurance is THE FAMILY YOU CHOOSE. To get a quote: visit amfam.com or call 1-888-202-3014

18

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 3, 2010

Country’s Rock T

After Six Decades of Hits, George Jones Remains Vital

here are very few living artists who define their chosen genre of music as much as George Jones defines country. Throughout the last 60 years, the silver-haired native of Beaumont, TX hasn’t seen one decade that did not have an ear for his therapeutic balladry, even during periods when his career was actually on the decline. From early hits like “White Lightening“ and “The Race Is On” to his string of duets with then-wife and later, more famously, ex-wife, Tammy Wynette, to later hits like “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes,” “I Don’t Need Your Rocking Chair” and “Choices,” Jones has always held true to both himself as a country singer and to his audience.

When asked what’s to thank for his endurance, it’s not surprising Jones, age 78, thanks his fans. “I think the only thing I can credit my longevity to is my amazing fans. They are the most loyal people and have supported me all these years,” the legendary singer confirms.

The fans may keep Jones in business, but it’s the honesty and poignancy conveyed in many of the songs he has recorded that have kept those supporters so loyal and so forgiving of any social transgressions a younger, wilder Jones might’ve committed. Both scholars and critics have elaborated on what makes the man’s catalog so enduring, so popular and so real. For one, George Jones—whether taking a sly and humorous or emotive and serious approach—has continually been an honest, forthright narrator, even in darker times when it looked as though he might not be long for this world. The mistakes, tribulations and new beginnings he sings about could happen to almost anyone and have certainly happened to many. Jones’ voice, an echoing, emotional presence that conveys hope when singing the saddest verse, is the instrument that makes those songs human.

“I’m constantly amazed at the span of generations at our concerts and the fact that even the very young people in the audience sing along to each song,” he says. “I’m sure most of the young people were exposed to my music by their parents, or grand-parents, but I think what has always appealed to fans of country music is that they relate to the songs.”

Turns out, that’s no accident. Jones says a song, first, has to connect with him before it even has a chance of connecting with his listeners. “I really haven’t written that many songs,” Jones says. “I rely on the talented songwriters in this town (of Nashville). When we are getting ready to record, the producer will contact different publishers and they submit songs written by their songwriters for us to listen to. I just pick the songs I like and that I can relate to.”

One song, in particular, has resulted in an amazing example of artist-to-audience transcendence for Jones. Written by Nashville vets Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman, the enormously heartbreaking “He Stopped Loving Her Today” remains one of Jones’ most popular songs and a special achievement for the singer, himself. The story of a man who dies still trying to embrace a faded love beyond his reach, the Billboard number-one hit from Jones’ 1980 “comeback album” I Am What I Am—often quoted as “the greatest country song of all time” by fans—was recently inducted into the U.S. Library of Congress Historical Archives. There it will sit alongside such recordings as “This Land Is Your Land”

by Woody Guthrie and “Your Cheatin’ Heart”

by Hank Williams, songs that have also been given the honor as exemplary contributions in their field.

“Any award [that I have] received is very much appreciated, but it was an especially great honor to have this song inducted into the Library of Congress archives,” says Jones. “’He Stopped Loving Her Today’ has always stood out from my other songs, and I think that’s because it’s so sad. Most people don’t know that I did not want to record that song because I thought it was too sad. But my great friend and producer, Billy Sherrill, just kept bringing it up at every recording session, so I finally gave in. It’s what we refer to in the music business as a ‘career song.’

I have been very fortunate to record some great, amazing songs, but I think that particular one has impacted more lives than any of my others.”

And it doesn’t look like Jones plans to stop impacting lives any time soon, as he continues to record and perform his distinguished brand of country music. He’s been continuously outspoken about the poppier, flashier direction in which the genre has been headed for the last decade: “I know things have to change, but the biggest percent of new artists, in my opinion, are not country. They would be more suited as pop or rock acts. The sound is definitely not what I call country music,” says Jones. Coming from such a reliable source, who could argue with his diagnosis of a world he helped to build, one new fan, one broken heart and one transcendent song at a time?

THE most inTErEsTing man in the world on Happy Hour Happy Hour is the Hour afTEr EvEryonE from Happy Hour has lEfT.

www.DOSEQUIS.com ENJOY DOS EQUIS RESPONSIBLY. ®

©2009 CERVEZAS MEXICANAS, WHITE PLAINS, NY

S

NOW

UPER TAN

OPEN

!

New Upscale Tanning Salon

13

Premium Tanning Beds

arry We C

FREE TANNING for 1 Week!

For first time customers only.

Coupon good at Athens, GA location only.

Cannot be combined with any other offers. Expires 04-15-10.

268 N. Jackson St. - Downtown • 706-227-6336

Michael Andrews

WHO: George Jones WHERE: Classic Center WHEN: Friday, Feb. 5, 7:30 p.m.

HOW MUCH: $32–$42

FEBRUARY 3, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

19

INT S B OTTLE SH O P OP IF VE

NO FAKE I.D.S

Valentine’s Day

146 e. clayton st.

OF

•

706-354-8631

MIC

NORTHEAST GEORGIA’S

BEST SELECTION

ROBR

QU EWS, FINE WINES & LI

OR

S

BIG GAME PARTY HEADQUARTERS! ATHENS’

BUD & BUD LIGHT 36 PACK CANS

23.99

ABITA 6 PACKS

12.49

$

20.99

$

TERRAPIN VARIETY 12 PACKS

14.99

$

LARGEST SELECTION OF

KEGS

JIM BEAM

7.99 $21.99

$

SAMUEL ADAMS 12 PACK BOTTLES

MILLER LITE 30 PACK CANS

$

26,000 WATTS OF COLLEGE RADIO DEBAUCHERY

NO CRYBABIES

IN THE SOUTHEAST

1.75L

PATRON SILVER

39.99 84.99

$ $

750mL 1.75L

Sweeties and Bubblies for your Sweetheart!

%VERYTHING !DULT FOR ! 0ASSIONATE 7ORLD

DON’T FORGET VALENTINE’S DAY is FEB. 14th!

CHOCOVINE DUTCH CHOCOLATE WINE

BANFI ROSA REGALE 750mL

13.99

$

22.99

$

TOBIN JAMES LIQUID LOVE

CA DE MEDICI LAMBRUSCO

9.99

$

21.99

$

BELL’S RIONDO PINK TWO HEARTED GRUET ALE PROSECCO BRUT ROSE 6 Pack

13.99

$

10.99

$

14.99

$

WWW.FIVEPOINTSBOTTLESHOP.COM

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST FOR INFORMATION ON EVENTS & SPECIALS! CHECK US OUT ON FACEBOOK!

1655 S. LUMPKIN ST.

706-543-6989

20

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 3, 2010

2TIONS

LOCA

3685 ATL. HWY.

706-316-2337

Packway Handle Band

THU. FEB. 11

What Are They Gonna Do Now? The Unexpected.

WED. FEB. 3

FRI. FEB. 12

THU. FEB. 4

FRI. FEB. 19

SAT. FEB. 27

FRI. FEB. 5

Jessica Horwitz

SAT. MAR. 27

A

thens’ own Packway Handle Band is not your run-of-the-mill group of stringpickers. Most nights, there’s no “Shady Grove” or “Little Maggie” to be heard from these fellers.

Rather, the semi-bluegrass group has developed a knack for incorporating witty, and at times sarcastic, lyrics into its repertoire, while keeping the standard string-band setup of guitar, mandolin, banjo and fiddle in check. A five-man tag team steeped in both tradition and individuality, if there was ever a garage band that played bluegrass instead of rock, this is it.

According to guitarist Josh Erwin, the approach his band takes to its live sets often depends on the venue. Though Erwin, banjo player Tom Baker, fiddler Andrew Heaton, bassist Zach McCoy and mandolinist Michael Paynter have been known to engage in a fair amount of mischief when onstage, they’re also capable of playing a hot set of straightahead, old-school bluegrass.

Sometimes listeners who become accustomed to one approach may be more than a little surprised when venturing out to see the flipside. “A lot of (what we sound like) has to do with the audience we’re going to be in front of,” says Erwin. “We’ve done a lot of bluegrass competitions and festivals where you have to lean more toward the straightforward style. We’ll have people come up after a show, like that, and say how much they enjoyed it. We’ll usually tell them to come check us out in Athens or Atlanta. Sometimes, when they do, I don’t think they know quite what to make of the difference at first.

We don’t do a lot of stuff exactly like most straightforward bluegrass bands do with the ‘brother’ harmonies and that kind of thing.

We’re not as technically good and strict as a real, professional bluegrass band, nor do any of us strive to be in that kind of band where there’s somewhat of a more limiting aspect to what you can and can’t do.”

It doesn’t take long to figure out that the Packway Handle Band does not pride itself on conventionality or artistic limitations.

Onstage, the group might unearth a sonorous Americana chestnut like the Louvin Brothers’ “Great Atomic Power” or do a complete 180

by putting a string-band spin on the Violent Femmes’ “American Music.” On its latest release, What Are We Gonna Do Now?, the group makes noticeable use of its trio of songwriters/vocalists in Paynter, Heaton and Erwin. Paynter is more prone to pen witty, self-deprecating songs like “Walking Disaster,” the narrator of which is “an accident that stopped waiting to happen, a total wreck” and “a toxic waste leak in your neighborhood creek” all rolled into one. Heaton also reveals himself as an appreciator of droll, somewhat snarky lyricism when singing “I never wanted to be a rock ‘n’ roll star, and I never wanted to own the most exclusive titty bar,” on “I’m Glad You Got My Priorities So Straight.” Erwin’s songs tend to venture more into story-song balladry as heard on the harmony-laden “Lord Baltimore,” also from the new release.

Listening to What Are We Gonna Do Now? you might think you finally have the Packway Handle Band pigeonholed. Then, out of nowhere, comes a brief, unexpected saxophone interlude provided by frequent guest Handleman and Knockouts member Bill “The Pump” Oglesby. Do these guys really enjoy pulling our legs as much as it might seem?

“We’ve been described as both a ‘bluegrass band with punk rock influences’ and ‘a band liked by people who don’t even like bluegrass,’” says Erwin. “To me, and I think to the other guys, too, we don’t really sound that much different than a straight bluegrass band. There’s just some stuff we do that sets us apart—like ‘The Pump,’ for instance. He’s a great sit-in sax guy who has also come out onstage in red, patent leather panties and bra over a fishnet body suit to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to my sister at one of our shows. You never know what to expect, and that’s just part of the fun.”

SAT. FEB. 6

Michael Andrews

WHO: Packway Handle Band, Lera Lynn WHERE: New Earth Music Hall WHEN: Friday, Feb. 5 HOW MUCH: $10 (adv.), $12 (door)

FEBRUARY 3, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

21

the calen ar!

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 2

Wednesday 3

EVENTS: Groundhog Day Celebration (Memorial Park) You may be over winter, but it’s up to Gus, Bear Hollow’s resident groundhog, to decide. Come out for a live feeding demo and crafts and learn cool facts about the “whistle-pig” as you await Gus’ prediction. 9–11 a.m.

FREE! 706-613-3616 EVENTS: Groundhog Walk (Greenway) Don’t miss the groundhogs on their special day! Take the kids, walk down the Greenway and watch for groundhogs emerging from their burrows. Call to register!

Noon–1 p.m. FREE! Call 706-6133615 or go to www.athensgreenway. com EVENTS: UGA Idol (UGA Hodgson Hall) The seventh annual UGA Idol singing competition. Fifteen UGA students perform songs covering a range of genres. Proceeds benefit UGA Miracle. 7:30 p.m. $8 (adv.), $10 (door). ugaidol2010@gmail. 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: Family Afternoon at the (Described) Movies (ACC Library) Showing Spy Kids. Film features a non-intrusive narrative track for visually impaired viewers. 3 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! www.doccheys.com

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 PERFORMANCE: Athens Showgirl Cabaret (Little Kings Shuffle Club) Athens’ finest drag queens perform onstage with a dance party to follow.

10 p.m. $3. www.myspace.com/ littlekingsshuffleclub PERFORMANCE: Local Laughs Live (UGA Tate Center) Open mic comedy shows gives students a chance to showcase their standup comedy skills. Hosted by Eric Slauson. 8 p.m. FREE! www.uga. edu/union 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: 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: Teen Writers Club (Oconee County Library) Share your work, get ideas from other young writers and receive support in your writing endeavors. 6–7 p.m. FREE! 706-769-3950

KIDSTUFF: Wildcard Wednesday for Teens (ACC Library) Up next: Artist Trading Cards. Ages 11–18.

Space is limited. 4 p.m. FREE! 706613-3650 LECTURES & LIT.: Introduction to Nichiren Buddhism (UGA Tate Center, Room 138) Learn about a philosophy of life that will help you transform suffering into victory. 7 p.m. FREE! www.uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: Word of Mouth (The Globe) Monthly open poetry readings begin! Every first Wednesday. The featured reader this week is Coy King. 8 p.m. FREE! www.athenswordofmouth.com MEETINGS: American Sign Language Study Group (Cups Coffee Café) All skill levels welcome. Come once or come weekly.

Newcomers welcome! 7–8 p.m.

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

1–3 p.m. FREE! 706-795-5597 GAMES: Dart League (Alibi) Meet up with other sharp-shooters. FREE! 706-549-1010 GAMES: Game Night (Alibi) Develop coordination, tolerance and grace through beer pong and Keno.

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.

8:30 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ flickerbar GAMES: Poker Tour (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) Texas Hold ‘Em every Wednesday. 18 and up. Sign in at 6:30 p.m. Begins at 7:30 p.m.

FREE! www.interstatepokerclub.com

Ceramic artwork by Arthur Gonzalez is on exhibit at the Lamar Dodd School of Art through Feb. 19.

GAMES: Sports Trivia (Beef ‘O’ Brady’s) Every Wednesday. 8:30 p.m.

FREE! 706-850-1916 GAMES: Trivia (Harry’s Pig Shop) Nerd wars at Classic City Trivia’s “most challenging Trivia Night in Athens.” Every Wednesday. 7:30 p.m. FREE! 706-612-9219 GAMES: Trivia (Your Pie, Five Points) Calling all know-it-alls!

Every Wednesday. 7:30 p.m. FREE! www.yourpie.com GAMES: Trivia (Willy’s Mexicana Grill) Every Wednesday. 8–10 p.m.

FREE! 706-548-1920 GAMES: Trivia Wars (283 Bar) Trivia teams compete for a $250 tattoo and other prizes throughout February.

Choose your teammates wisely, and check the Facebook group “Trivia Wars!” for weekly updates and the online question of the week. 8:30 p.m. (sign up) 9 p.m. (game starts).

FREE! 706-208-1283

Thursday 4

Of Montreal is playing the 40 Watt Club on Wednesday, Feb. 3 and Thursday, Feb. 4.

22

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 3, 2010

EVENTS: Heel-a-Thon (Taylor-Grady House) Ladies, slip into your most ridiculous heels and race against other similarly impaired women!

This trap, er, event seems unlikely to become a repeat happening, so don’t miss it! Sponsored by The Junior League of Athens and Blvd Magazine. 5–6:30 p.m. $15. www. juniorleagueofathens.org EVENTS: Live After Five (Hotel Indigo, Phi Bar and Bistro) Get a headstart on your weekend with live music and wine tastings. Thursdays, 6–8 p.m. $15 (wine tastings). 706546-0430, www.athensdowntownhotel.com EVENTS: UGA Living Wage Vigil (UGA Arch) Come out and show your support for a living wage! Every Thursday. 5–6 p.m. FREE! www. livingwageaction.org

PERFORMANCE: UGA Symphony Orchestra Concert (UGA Hodgson Hall) Mark Cedel conducts. 8 p.m. www.music.uga.edu KIDSTUFF: Homeschoolers Chapter Book Review (Madison County Library) Elementary schoolage homeschoolers gather at the library to read a book together and talk about it. Every Thursday. 2 p.m.

FREE! 706-795-5597 KIDSTUFF: Parent/Child Workshops (ACC Library) For children ages 1–3, plus their caregivers.

Featuring toys, music, art activities and a different community resource guest each week. In-person preregistration required. 10–11 a.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 LECTURES & LIT.: Book Signing (Borders Books & Music) Author Joan Koonce speaks about her book, Integrity in a Box of Chocolates, an intimate collection of short stories which depicts the life of a black woman surviving poverty, abuse, addiction and discrimination in rural North Carolina. 7 p.m. FREE! 706583-8647 MEETINGS: Athens Human Rights Festival (Nuçi’s Space) Committee planning meeting. Any volunteers who want to help organize this year’s festival are welcome. Parking is available across the street in the old Dial America lot. 7:30 p.m.

770-725-2652, www.athenshumanrightsfest.org MEETINGS: Oconee Rivers Audubon Society (Sandy Creek Nature Center, ENSAT building) Dr. Ron Carroll, professor in UGA’s Odum School of Ecology, discusses “Global warming consequences for the Georgia coast and for neotropical migrants.” New members welcome!

Ages 13 and up. Rescheduled from Jan. 7. 7–9 p.m. FREE! 706-6133615, www.oconeeriversaudubon. org

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 GAMES: Trivia (Your Pie, Downtown) Calling all know-it-alls! Every Thursday. 7:30 p.m. FREE! www. yourpie.com

Friday 5 EVENTS: Measuring Deliberate Speed Brown Bag Film & Discussion Series (UGA Main Library) To complement the ongoing exhibition, Measuring Deliberate Speed: Georgians Face School Desegregation, the Russell Library hosts Friday film screenings. This week: A Tale of Two Cities, 1961: Atlanta-Dallas Prepare for School De-Segregation. Noon–1 p.m. FREE! 706-542-5788 EVENTS: Carnivale of Black Hearts (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Mr. Blank rounds up his freak show for another wild night of music and acrobatic performances. Featuring the death defying Blockhead act, fire-wielding belly dancers, spoken word from The Half-Dead Boy and the debut appearance of Oscar & Meyer the Conjoined Twin Pigs. Plus, games, prizes an a performance by the Bat Rabies Orchestra. 8:30 p.m. $5. www. myspace.com/flickerbar 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 and more add to your weekend experience. 2–7 p.m. FREE! 706-353-2223

EVENTS: Found Footage Festival (Ciné Barcafé) Brand-new installment of festival that showcases odd videos, such as infomercials, training videos and cable access shows, found at garage sales, thrift stores and warehouses throughout the country. Hosted by comedians Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher. 8 and 10 p.m. $10. www.foundfootagefestival. com * PERFORMANCE: Recital (UGA Ramsey Concert Hall) Awardwinning German pianist and UGA artist in residence Benjamin Moser performs works by Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Chopin and Rachmaninoff. 8 p.m. $18 (adults), $9 (UGA students). www. uga.edu/pac PERFORMANCE: Voice Recital (UGA Chapel) Commemorate the bicentennial of the birth of German virtuoso and composer Robert Schumann with a performance entitled, “Of Flowers, Lonely Teardrops and Treacherous Waters.” 3 p.m.

FREE! 706-542-3966 LECTURES & LIT.: IWS Friday Speaker Series (UGA Student Learning Center, Room 214) Nichole Ray and Maria Winfield speak on “PhDeed: African American Women, Community and Creativity in Working Towards the Doctorate.”

12:20–1:10 p.m. FREE! 706-5422846 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 6 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: African-American Film Festival (Lay Park) Celebrate Black History month with a screening of Ruby Bridges, a film about the first black student, kindergartender Ruby Bridges, to attend integrated schools in New Orleans in 1960. 2 p.m.

FREE! www.accleisureservices.com EVENTS: Farmers’ Market (Flora Hydroponics, 195 Paradise Blvd.)

The Sacred Earth Growers Co-Op sets up a newly established yearround farmers’ market. See Feb. 5 Events. 2–7 p.m. FREE! 706-3532223 EVENTS: First Saturday Old Time Barn Dances (Old Colbert Gym, Colbert) All the fun of a barn dance without the chiggers! Come early for a beginners’ workshop, and break in your dancing shoes with live music provided by The Hogslop Stringband. Accepting food donations for the Madison County Food Bank. 6:30–10 p.m. $5 (adults), $3 (kids under 17). 706-795-3223 EVENTS: Reese Fitts Memorial Dinner (Mama’s Boy) A low country boil will be held for friends, family and supporters, followed by a memorial party. A portion of proceeds to benefit Nuci’s Space. www.eatatmamasboy.com EVENTS: Speakeasy (Call for location) Party like there’s no impending economic collapse at this glamorous, 1920s-themed event! Ticket includes dinner, an exclusive silent auction and tours of your host’s extensive art collection. Proceeds benefit the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art. 7 p.m. $75/person, $125/couple. 706-542-4662

PERFORMANCE: Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet (UGA Hodgson Hall) The worldclass classical ensemble performs works by Karl Pilss, Gunther Schuller, Paul Hindemith, Samuel Barber and Carl Nielsen in this much anticipated concert. 8 p.m. $13–$26.

706-542-4400 PERFORMANCE: Double Bass Symposium (Edge Recital Hall) Featuring a performance by double bass pedagogue Joel Quarrington of Montreal’s McGill University.

Sponsored by the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. 8 p.m. $8. www. music.uga.edu PERFORMANCE: “The Funniest Man in America” (Historic Elbert Theatre) Comedian James Gregory promises big laughs for this little town. Call for tickets. 7 p.m. $27 (adults), $24 (seniors). 706-2831049, www.elberttheatre.org PERFORMANCE: International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (Morton Theatre) ICCA quarterfinals. Sponsored by Varsity Vocals, the UGA Accidentals and UGA Noteworthy. 8–10:30 p.m. $15 (adults), $10 (students and children). 706-613-3771 KIDSTUFF: Arbor Day Celebration (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Learn about the importance of trees through tree games, tree identification and an intensive “tree cookie” investigation with knowledgable puppet Old Man Spruce. 1–3 p.m. $3. 706-542-6359 MEETINGS: Talking Book Center Public Forum (Athens-Clarke County Library) Learn how proposed changes to the Talking Book Center will impact patrons and voice your ideas to help improve Georgia’s Accessible Statewide Services. 1 p.m. 706-613-3655

Sunday 7 EVENTS: Mardi Gras Lunch (The Melting Point) This benefit lunch for Friends of Advantage Behaviorial Health Systems features a delicious low country boil and live music by JazzChronic. 12:30–3 p.m. $25 (adv.), $22 (door), $14 (kids). 706296-8086 * EVENTS: Meditation and 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. 5 p.m. FREE! 561723-6172, vastuyoga@hotmail.com LECTURES & LIT.: Book Signing (Borders Books & Music) Sherri Goggins talks about her new cookbook, Home Plate. 3 p.m. FREE! 706-583-8647 LECTURES & LIT.: We Don’t Wear Pajamas at My House! (Borders Books & Music) Local educators Cindy Boerma and Deena Eberhardt share the wisdom of four-year-olds in their new book. 1 p.m. FREE! 706583-8647 GAMES: Full-Contact Trivia (Allen’s Bar & Grill) Sports-themed rules with diverse categories. 9 p.m.

FREE! www.allensbarandgrill.com GAMES: Trippin’ Through the 2000s Pop Culture Trivia (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) The name says it all! Test your knowledge of pop culture in the ‘00s every Sunday.

6:30 p.m. (sign in), 7 p.m. (start).

706-354-6655

Monday 8 EVENTS: Animal Voices Film Festival (UGA Student Learning Center, Room 102) The big, bad wolf gets his say in this Speak Out

for Species-sponsored screening of Lord of Nature: Life in a Land of Great Predators. 7:30 p.m. FREE! www.uga.edu/sos/filmfest KIDSTUFF: Bedtime Stories (ACC Library) Every Monday. 7 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 KIDSTUFF: Infant Storytime (ACC Library) Nurture language skills.

10:30 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 GAMES: “20 Questions at Transmet” (Transmetropolitan, Downtown) General trivia. Topics include sex, music, movies, science, history and much more. Check the Facebook Group “20 questions at Transmet” for weekly themes and the online question of the week. Every Monday. 8:30–10 p.m. FREE! 706613-8773 GAMES: Ping Pong (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Get your paddle ready for a riveting round of table tennis. 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: 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 with Ken! 9 p.m. FREE! 706-5491010 GAMES: Trivia (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) Every Monday with prizes!

Sign up at 7:30. Start preparing for the Grand Showdown on Mar. 1 for the chance to win a $200 prize. 8 p.m. 706-354-6655

Tuesday 9 EVENTS: Diva Contest (Alibi) Are you rude to service industry folks and people with reasonably priced shoes? Does the line always start behind you? Do you think you deserve accolades just for being fabulous, fabulous you? Go get ‘em, girl. 706-549-1010 EVENTS: Lecture-Recital (UGA Hodgson Hall) Noted pianist Richard Zimdars, who recently released his solo piano CD American Piano Music, 1900–1930, will speak on “American Innovators: Henry Cowell and Dane Rudhyar” preceding his recital. 8 p.m. FREE! www.uga.edu/ news 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 LECTURES & LIT.: AfricanAmerican Authors Book Club (ACC Library, Small Conference Room) February’s title is Til Debt Do Us Part. Newcomers welcome. 5 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 LECTURES & LIT.: Book SigningInterview (Borders Books & Music) Talk show hostess Liz Dalton speaks with Dr. Joan Curtis, author of Managing Sticky Situations at Work, a book about managing sticky situations at work. 7 p.m. FREE! 706-583-8647 LECTURES & LIT.: Darwin Days Lecture (UGA Ecology Building) Alaskan artist and author of Rapture of the Deep, Ray Troll, will deliver an illustrated lecture entitled, “Vicious Fishes of the Amazon.” Part of UGA’s Darwin Days, a yearly celebration of the life and work of Charles Darwin.

4 p.m. FREE! www.uga.edu/news 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! www.doccheys.com

Wednesday 10 EVENTS: For the Bible Tells Me So (UGA Student Learning Center, Room 101) The LGBT Resource Center presents this award-winning documentary film which attempts to reconcile homosexuality with Biblical scripture. TEACH minister Mary Lou Wallner will speak following the screening. 6:30 p.m. FREE! 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 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 cupcake compatriots and collaborate on a different themed cupcake every Wednesday!

10–11:30 a.m. $1. 706-613-3603, www.accleisureservices.com KIDSTUFF: Cupid’s Corner (Parkview Community Center) Make special gifts for your sweethearts!

For kids ages 4–12. 4 p.m. $3. 706613-3601 KIDSTUFF: Wildcard Wednesday for Teens (ACC Library) Up next: Felt Heart Baskets. Create a heartfelt gift for someone special with this felt heart basket! Ages 11–18. Space is limited. 4 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650

MEETINGS: American Sign Language Study Group (Cups Coffee Café) All skill levels welcome.

Come once or come weekly. 7–8 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ aslstudygroup MEETINGS: Library Sewing Group (Madison County Library) Currently crocheting with double-ended crochet needles. Newcomers welcome.

1–3 p.m. FREE! 706-795-5597 GAMES: Dart League (Alibi) Meet up with other sharp-shooters. FREE! 706-549-1010 GAMES: Game Night (Alibi) Develop coordination, tolerance and grace through beer pong and Keno.

Every Wednesday with Corey. FREE! 706-549-1010 GAMES: Poker Tour (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) Texas Hold ‘Em every Wednesday. Sign in at 6:30 p.m.

Dealing begins at 7:30 p.m. FREE! www.interstatepokerclub.com GAMES: Sports Trivia (Beef ‘O’ Brady’s) Every Wednesday. 8:30 p.m.

FREE! 706-850-1916 GAMES: Trivia (Harry’s Pig Shop) Nerd wars at Classic City Trivia’s “most challenging Trivia Night in Athens.” Every Wednesday. 7:30 p.m. FREE! 706-612-9219 GAMES: Trivia (Your Pie, Five Points) Calling all know-it-alls!

Every Wednesday. 7:30 p.m. FREE! www.yourpie.com GAMES: Trivia (Willy’s Mexicana Grill) Every Wednesday. 8–10 p.m.

FREE! 706-548-1920 GAMES: Trivia Wars (283 Bar) Trivia teams compete for a $250 tattoo and other prizes throughout February.

Check the Facebook group “Trivia Wars!” for weekly updates and the online question of the week. 8:30 p.m. (sign up) 9 p.m. (game starts).

FREE! 706-208-1283 * Advance Tickets Available

Down the Line EVENTS: Invasive Crafts Program 2/11 (Greenway) Learn why kudzu, privet and honeysuckle aren’t really your friends. Then, make crafts out of specimens harvested from the Greenway! For all ages. Call to register. 10 a.m.–noon. $2. 706613-3615 EVENTS: International Human Rights and Climate Change Conference 2/12 (UGA Dean Rusk Center) Yale University’s Thomas Pogge is the keynote speaker at this conference exploring the relationship between human rights and climate change. Presented by the UGA School of Law. Register by Feb. 5. 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. www.law. uga.edu/international-human-rightsand-climate-change EVENTS: Mardi Gras Athens 2/12 (The Melting Point) Third annual fundraising event for Family Counseling Services. 6:30 p.m. $25. www.fcsathens.com/mardigras.html EVENTS: Observatory Open House 2/12 (UGA Observatory) The UGA Observatory hosts its monthly open house viewing. 8 p.m. FREE! 706-542-2860 THEATRE: Mame 2/12 (Athens Community Theatre) The Town and Gown Players perform the classic 1956 Broadway musical about a boy who, after the death of his father, is taken under the wing of his eccentric aunt and swept away in the whirlwind of her adventurous life in New York City. Feb. 12–14, Feb. 18–21, 8 p.m. Thursday–Saturday, 2 p.m. Sundays. 706-208-8696, www. townandgownplayers.org KIDSTUFF: Family Day: Pop-Up Valentines 2/13 (Georgia Museum of Art) Use the works of art around k continued on next page

Thursday, February 4

Future Ape Tapes, Quiet Hooves, Roman Photos Caledonia Lounge Future Ape Tapes is the Dark Meat of the local hip-hop scene. “I once said anyone could be in Future Ape Tapes,” says The ArcHItect, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist with the Future Ape Tapes group. “That’s not really the case. However, if you have something to add, then we might be down.”

In addition to The ArcHItect, a litany of other rappers, musicians and beat-artists contribute to the project. Among them are BlastFamous, Board of Directors, Chosun 2G, Das Kapital, DJ Jaxone, Elan Vitale, John Baylor, Kid Kwame Kwenu, Lord Baltimore, Lost HomeBoy 2.0, Paperboy, Sir Hamlet and Tom TV. Live in Athens? There’s a good chance you’re in this group.

The communal aspect of Future Ape Tapes bears comparisons to Wu-Tang Clan and A Tribe Called Quest. And like those groups, Future Ape Tapes has its own origin story and value system. “When Future Ape Tapes started,” says The ArcHItect, “one of the central ideas was the image of postmodern man in the jungle. Through technology we have created a never-ending stream of thought which is a mirror image of our subconscious mind.”

Future Ape Tapes’ literate self-awareness translates into the rhymes of its numerous MCs, whose socially conscious lyrics would fit right in place with the “native tongue” hip-hop movement of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. On Temples, Future Ape Tapes’ new album, the group combines throwback beats (think Grandmaster Flash meets Cannibal Ox and MC Doom) with smooth rhymes to create a sonic landscape that is at once fresh and familiar. Onstage, the group recreates its music using live instruments in addition to turntables and computers.

The eccentricity of Future Ape Tapes is far from a liability; in fact, it stands them in good stead with other Athens-based groups. “Being in Athens is definitely where we want to be,” says The ArcHItect. “It’s a way for us to contribute to the cultural ebb and flow of our local music scene.” [John Seay]

FEBRUARY 3, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

23

THE CALENDAR! you as inspiration for your own unique pop-up Valentines. 10 a.m.

FREE! 706-542-4662 LECTURES & LIT.: Visiting Artist Lecture 2/16 (Lamar Dodd School of Art, Room S151) Natalie Jeremijenko is this month’s speaker.

5:30 p.m. FREE! www.art.uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: Talking about Books 2/17 (ACC Library, (Small Conference Room) This month, members will read and discuss Mary Ann Schafer and Annie Barrow’s The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. Newcomers welcome. 10:30 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 ART: “Home Is Where the Heart Is” Art Auction 2/18 (Hotel Indigo) Various works by local artists will be auctioned off to benefit Athens Area Habitat for Humanity’s upcoming Women Build campaign. 5:30–7:30 p.m. 706-208-1001, www.athenshabitat.com EVENTS: A Taste of Athens 2/21 (The Classic Center) Annual showcase of the culinary talents of the Athens community. Benefits Community Connection of Northeast Georgia. 5–8 p.m. $45, $75 (VIPs).

706-353-1313, www.tasteofathens. com * Advance Tickets Available

Live Music Tuesday 2 40 Watt Club 9 p.m. $11 (adv.). www.40watt.com DRUG RUG Classic psychedelic rock and roll collective from Massachusetts.

THE FIERY FURNACES The prolific Friedberger siblings walk the line between catchy and challenging, experimenting endlessly with mood, concept and drama.

VENICE IS SINKING With boy/girl vocals, a cinematic jangle and a sweeping, emotional punch courtesy of a viola, Venice Is Sinking’s pianobased torch songs burn bright.

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

continued from p. 23

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

Caledonia Lounge 9:30 p.m. $9 (adv.), $10 (21+), $12 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com ANNA KRAMER AND THE LOST CAUSE With Anna Kramer taking the lead on piano and vocals, this Atlanta band mixes twang and jangle, with fuzzed out guitars meeting tinkling piano for a raucous good time.

DEX ROMWEBER DUO Dex Romweber is the former frontman for the psycho-surf-rockabilly-garagepunk combo Flat Duo Jets. His music was a huge influence on Jack White of The White Stripes, and it only takes a quick listen to his rowdy rock and roll to see why.

EXENE CERVENKA Punk legend known for her work with the band X. She made an appearance on Dex Romweber’s latest record Ruins of Berlin and released her first solo record in over a decade last October.

Her latest material has an intimate, folky feel, and the lyrics are as sharp as ever.

Little Kings Shuffle Club 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/littlekingsshuffleclub PUNK ROCK NIGHT Every Tuesday at Little Kings! Featuring a mix of punk rock bands and DJ-led dance parties.

The Melting Point 7 p.m. $3. www.meltingpointathens. com BORDERHOP TRIO The trio sums up its sound in two words: “High.

Lonesome.” Part of the weekly Terrapin Bluegrass series!

No Where Bar 10 p.m. $2. 706-546-4742 LANEY STRICKLAND & THE BLOODTHIRSTY COWBOYS Classic Southern rock with bluesy riffs, wailing organ and soulful vocals.

EARTH-FRIENDLY • WATER-WISE • ORGANIC GARDENING

LOCALLY

OWNED AN D OPERATED

!

SOME GROW AS A HOBBY, WE DO IT FOR A LIVING

Farmers’ Market EVERY FRIDAY & SATURDAY 2-7pm

• LOCAL SUSTAINABLE PRODUCE • NATURALLY GROWN DAIRY & MEATS • PLUS LOCAL ARTISANS & LOCAL FOOD VENDORS www.FloraHydroponics.com 706-353-2223 • Mon-Sat 10am-6pm Newton Bridge Rd. to Paradise Blvd. - Behind Terrapin Brewery

24

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 3, 2010

Rye Bar 9 p.m. www.myspace.com/ryebarathens OPEN MIC SERIES Every Monday, six separate acts have the opportunity to impress the judges based on vocals, performance and songwriting.

Tasty World Uptown 9 p.m. $3. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown FUTUREBIRDS Local folk-rock collective with a tattered, raspy edge.

Jamey Huggins (he’s played in a bunch of other E6 bands, too).

Expect a set of eclectic sounds, sweetly sung with a generally warm, ‘60s pop rock vibe that’s been compared to Guided by Voices.

OF MONTREAL Let your freak flag fly with this increasingly outrageous Athens pop band. The last record, Skeletal Lamping, received rave reviews with its hyper-sexual lyrics and funky arrangements. This is the first of two nights at the 40 Watt Club.

range “from The Kinks to Stone Roses.”

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

THE JACK BURTON Local punk band featuring former members of departed Athens faves like Hunter-Gatherer, Let’s Surf! and Exit 86.

Locos Grill & Pub 6:30–9 p.m. FREE! www.locosgrill.com (Harris St.) JAY RING AND KIP JONES Americana-infused acoustic duo.

The Melting Point 9 p.m. $8 (adv.), $10 (door). www. meltingpointathens.com* FRONTIERS Journey tribute band.

New Earth Music Hall 9 p.m. www.newearthmusichall.com CHICAGO AFROBEAT PROJECT Dynamic musical collective rooted in ‘70s funk and jazz-infused Afrobeat.

No Where Bar 10 p.m. $2. 706-546-4742 NATHAN SHEPPARD The local acoustic guitarist-harmonicist is known for his emotive singing style and his modern reworkings of classic tunes, from Dylan and Neil Young to Van Morrison.

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

Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown CIRCLE IN FLIGHT Local metal act inspired by Mastodon.

HARSH FLIGHT Metal band.

KILL THE SCHOOL Metal four-piece based here in Athens.

OF LEGEND Local metalcore band.

Thursday 4 Owl City is playing a sold out show at the Melting Point on Saturday, Feb. 6. Read our interview with the band at www.flagpole.com.

This show is part of the band’s continuing residency at Tasty World, with shows every other Tuesday until Mardi Gras.

GIFT HORSE A special treat tonight: Local band Gift Horse will play a set of all My Bloody Valentine covers!

Wednesday 3 40 Watt Club 8 p.m. $15 (adv.). www.40watt.com JAMES HUSBAND Side project from Of Montreal’s multi-instrumentalist

Alibi 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 HIP-HOP DJ Spinning all your favorite hip-hop jams every Wednesday.

Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com HUNDRED HANDED GIANTS Duo from Alpharetta influenced by Nick Cave and Jens Lekman.

PETER PANCAKES Upbeat songs via acoustic guitar, upright bass and Rhodes piano.

SWANK MOTEL Lo-fi rock from Atlanta with British influences that

MOUSER Colby Carter (vocals, guitar) and his expanding gang of backing musicians play efficient and exuberant garage-pop songs that suggest a willingness to experiment, working through noise jams to find the aggressive pop hiding behind.

WILD YAKS This Brooklyn punk band growls and shreds with a bluesy sort of swagger.

La Fiesta on Hawthorne Noon–2 p.m. FREE! 706-548-4261 KEVIN FLEMING Spanish and Latin guitar, every Wednesday during lunch.

283 Bar 10 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/the283bar BIG DAWGS Brand-new local rock duo featuring Ben Dupriest (drums) and Adam Saunders (guitar, vocals) formerly of The Pendeltons.

BIG SPENDERS Brand-new local pop rock band featuring Ashley Wills on vocals, Ben Wills (The Empties) on bass, Nick Robbins (Velveteen Pink) on drums and Rand Lines on guitar.

40 Watt Club 8 p.m. $15 (adv.). www.40watt.com JAMES HUSBAND Side project from Of Montreal’s multi-instrumentalist Jamey Huggins (he’s played in a bunch of other E6 bands, too).

Expect a set of eclectic sounds, sweetly sung with a generally warm,

Alibi “Birthday Party for Brittany!” 9 p.m.

FREE! 706-549-1010 FORWARD MOTION Rock covers and originals.

Saturday, February 6

Jonathan Richman 40 Watt Club Because it’s good to know someone who is always sincere, always. Because you need advice. Because the drummer never gets enough credit. Because you are unaware of the fact that people of the opposite gender enjoy the sound of foreign languages. Because everything is always too loud and too late. Because it’s not so much to be loved, as to love. These are some of the reasons to see Jonathan Richman every chance you get, and we will now address each one, in order.

For context, the factoid most lobbed at you about Jonathan Richman is that he wrote a song (“Roadrunner”) with his old band, The Modern Lovers, that was later covered by the Sex Pistols. In the grand scheme of Jonathan, this is unimportant. (The Pistols covered The Monkees, too, so… yeah.) And with both The Modern Lovers and in his own career as a solo artist, he’s retained the directness and honesty that are bedrock to punk rock, but he got out before it got crass or cynical. From 1970 on, he’s been singing quiet songs that are fraught with the doubts and longings that we all feel more daily than we’d admit. They are reassuring hands on our shoulders; “true love is not nice”—no kidding.

Accompanied by low-key drummer Tommy Larkin (whose name traditionally receives equal billing on the 40 Watt marquee), Richman has traveled the world over, becoming increasingly enamored with the romance languages. He’s known to slip into verses sung in Spanish, French or Italian, and make no mistake, at the Schoolkids Records in-store he did a couple of years back, many girls in attendance were forcing themselves to exhibit restraint. But the 40 Watt stage is his haunt of choice, and the show will be at a reasonable hour, so engage in casual timeliness at your own peril. From painters to women to the Velvet Underground, Jonathan Richman’s unofficial guide to life is to love it unabashedly, and who among us can argue with that? [Jeff Tobias]

‘60s pop-rock vibe that’s been compared to Guided by Voices.

OF MONTREAL Let your freak flag fly with this increasingly outrageous Athens pop band. The last record, Skeletal Lamping, received rave reviews with its hyper-sexual lyrics and funky arrangements. This is the second of two nights at the 40 Watt Club.

Alibi 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 OPEN MIC/JAM Hosted by Charles Burgess of Common People Band.

Open to all musicians.

Caledonia Lounge 9:30 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www. caledonialounge.com FUTURE APE TAPES Innovative local psychedelic hip-hop with layers, loops and samples from another planet. Celebrating the release of of their new album, Temples. See Calendar Pick on p. 23.

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

ROMAN PHOTOS Post-punk electronica from Atlanta with a groovecentric dark, disco vibe.

Ciné Barcafé Haiti Benefit Concert. 9 p.m. $5 (students), $6 (general). www.athenscine.com DJ EZE Spinning today’s hottest Latin rhythms: salsa, merengue, bachata and more.

INCATEPEC A combination of traditional tunes from South America and Cuba with a unique jazz twist.

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

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

Flicker Theatre & Bar 8:30 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/ flickerbar DUSTY LIGHTSWITCH Described as “one of the most exciting and satisfying live bands in town” by Flagpole writer Gordon Lamb, this revolving cast of local eccentrics delivers rock and roll with epic possibilites.

ZAKA Local singer-songwriter Kate Powell plays guitar, piano and love Bowie.

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

The Melting Point 8:30 p.m. $16 (adv.), $20 (door). www. meltingpointathens.com* TAB BENOIT A music icon in the making, Louisiana-born guitarist Benoit practically lives on the road, playing his masterful blend of Cajun-flavored rock and roll blues more than 250 nights a year across the country.

New Earth Music Hall 9 p.m. www.newearthmusichall.com EP3 This Ohio-based band plays a unique mix of space rock punctuated by some old-school improvisational jams.

LSDJ Get your psychedelic dancing on.

ZOOGMA This Oxford, MS group lays down electro-driven funk and rock jams that feature smooth improvization and sampling.

No Where Bar 10 p.m. $2. 706-546-4742 THREE FOOT SWAGGER Local band featuring musicians Dave Cardello, Jake Cohen, Scott Lerch, Charlie McCoy and Jeff Reusche.

The Swagger plays dynamic, highenergy rock and roll with a lot of funk.

The Office Lounge 8 p.m. FREE! 706-546-0840 KARAOKE Every Thursday with The Singing Cowboy!

Tasty World Uptown 9 p.m. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown BROTHER BROTHER This Chicagobased band features a wide range of influences from funk and soul to jazz and blues.

DREW DIXON This UGA student plays classic blues licks with a lot of soul.

SHANNON MCARTHUR Catchy pop tunes with acoustic guitar riffs and narrative lyrics.

Friday 5 40 Watt Club 10 p.m. $5. www.40watt.com BACK PEDDLERS Brand-new Athens band featuring some of the best pickers from The Corduroy Road, Bob Hay and the Jolly Beggars and Supercluster. The five-piece, bluegrass lineup includes banjo, mandolin and stand-up bass, but the songs range from country and folk to rock and roll.

CLAY LEVERETT AND FRIENDS One of this town’s finest country frontmen, Leverett has led both The Chasers and Lona. He will perform with collaborators from those projects and others tonight.

Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com KALVINOVA Self-proclaimed “scientists of sound,” these Valdosta altrockers craft sweeping soundscapes to back the standard guitar-vocaldrum combination.

MR. FALCON High-energy, indie garage rock influenced equally by The Kinks and Pixies.

QUIET SCIENCE Poignant poetry backed by big, glossy rock.

Recommended for fans of acts like Death Cab for Cutie.

The Classic Center 7:30 p.m. $32-$42 www.classiccenter. com* GEORGE JONES American country music legend known for his long list of hit records and distinctive voice.

See story on p. 19.

WILSON FAIRCHILD Country duo featuring the Reid cousins who have sung together for over 15 years as Grandstaff.

Farm 255 11 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com CHARLIE GARRETT BAND Local guys Charlie Garrett (vocals, guitar), Jay Rodgers (bass), Andrew Hammer (drums) and Matt “Pistol” Stoessel (pedal steel) play countrytinged Southern rock.

Go Bar 10 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ gobar THE AGENDA In-your-face punk rock ensemble that features a high-energy show that’s both reckless and wildly entertaining. The lineup features Dan Geller (Ruby Isle, Gold Party), Mat Lewis and Ryan Lewis (both of Grape Soda), and Justin Robinson on lead vocals.

AMERICAN CHEESEBURGER Athens four-piece that boasts former members of No!, Divorce and Carrie Nations, delivering rapid-fire, loud and aggressive old-school thrash rock. Jeff Rapier (The Dumps) recently joined as the new singer.

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

TWIN POWERS DJ Dan Geller (Gold Party, The Agenda) and a rotating cast of partners—Winston Parker (ATEM), Tom Hedger (owner of Go Bar), Eddie Russell (of Farm 255)—spin top 40/hip-hop mixed with indie, synthpop, new wave and Britpop.

min

max

$1.50 HIGH LIFE $2.50 JAGER SHOTS $3.00 JAGER BOMBS Tuesdays PB&J Night $1.25 PBR $2.75 JAMESON AND JAGER

Mondays

SHOTS

Wednesdays

Pitcher Night

$5.00 MILLER LITE AND

YEUNGLING

$2.75 TERRAPINS Thursdays $3.50 BELL’S BEERS Largest Outdoor Patio Downtown Only Air Hockey Table Downtown Happy Hour Specials 4-9pm Daily Now Booking bands, socials and private events.

Email Neal for more info nealio2@gmail.com

Monday, February 15

BAR OLYMPICS BAR HOP Form a Team of 2 or more and meet here at 8pm Compete in 8 games at 3 different bars Prizes for Winning Teams

Little Kings Shuffle Club 10 p.m. $3. www.myspace.com/littlekingshuffleclub DEAD DOG Local band delivers frenetic, spunky lo-fi punk delivered with a pop smile.

LITTLE LUNGS Catchy punk rock sounds mixed eclectically with female vocals. Featuring former members of Each Other’s Mothers and Tin Kitchen.

P.S. ELIOT Hailing from Birmingham, AL, this pop punk band cites Liz Phair, Bikini Kill and Fugazi as influences.

WITCHES Local rock band featuring Cara Beth Satalino on lead vocals backed by a drummer and bassist.

The Melting Point 9 p.m. $10 (18+). www.meltingpointathens.com STRAWBERRY FLATS Southern rock from local music vets John k continued on next page

FEBRUARY 3, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

25

Keane, Scott Sanders, Tim White and Deane Quinter. Impressive playing to support their especially impressive musical resumes.

New Earth Music Hall 9 p.m. $10 (adv.). www.newearthmusichall.com LERA LYNN The tender, jazzy folk voice behind Birds & Wire.

PACKWAY HANDLE Beloved local bluegrass band that thrives on innovation and the unexpected. CD Release Party! See feature story on p. 21.

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

Tasty World Uptown 9 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown BLACK BELT PATRIOTS Local alternative rock trio celebrating the release of its brand new studio album!

Your cover gets you a free CD. Two Story Coffeehouse 8–10 p.m. FREE! 706-850-5422 THE LESS Atlanta pop band in the vein of John Mayer.

AUSTIN SISK Acoustic singersongwriter.

Saturday 6 40 Watt Club 9 p.m. $11 (adv.) www.40watt.com JONATHAN RICHMAN The enigmatic singer/songwriter and showman Jonathan Richman sings love songs, breakup songs, all-around great songs, does weird dances, does some kind of James Brown beg-andplead routine and occasionally lets his drummer/bongo player Tommy Larkins take the lead. See Calendar Pick on p. 25.

Alibi 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 DJ MANE Spinning hip-hop all night long.

Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com CASPER AND THE COOKIES Increasingly experimental but always rooted in pop sensibilities, this local act presents a danceable mix of quirky fun driven by keyboard and guitar.

NUTRIA This rootsy local powerpop band features former members of The Eskimos and The Possibilities.

THE SHUT UPS Led by Don Condescending and Ben Spraker, The Shut Ups produce sounds reminiscent of The Joe Jackson Band, The Paul Collins Beat and The Brains.

Club Chrome 9 p.m. $5. 706-543-9009 BIG DON BAND Real Southern rock featuring soulful vocals backed by smooth, bluesy guitars. Lynyrd Skynyrd would approve.

Farm 255 “Dancing to the Beet.” 11 p.m. $5 (suggested donation. www.farm255.com DJ MAHOGANY Spinning your favorite soul, disco and funk songs! This dance party is a fundraiser to benefit P.L.A.C.E. Flicker Theatre & Bar 8:30 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/ flickerbar DAVE CAMPBELL Local guitarist known for his work in experimental noise duo Better People.

26

Friday, Feb. 5 continued from p. 25

NESEY GALLONS E6 collaborator whose mostly acoustic numbers feature whimsical lyrics sung with quavering sincerity over acoustic guitar with flourishes of xylophone and organ.

PIPES YOU SEE, PIPES YOU DON’T The delightfully warped psychedelic pop project headed by Peter Erchick (Olivia Tremor Control, Circulatory System) and featuring other Elephant 6 members.

Go Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar LATE NIGHT DISCO The house deejay and occasional special guests spin a cool mix of disco, new wave and modern dance tunes for a sweaty and energetic closing-time crowd. Dance party begins after the live music every Saturday.

ONE WOLF Naming influences that range from Tears for Fears and New Order to Hank Williams and Whiskeytown, Daniel Markham has worked with producer Jason Martin (Starflyer 59) to create a record that is full of dreamy indie rock and space-age sounds.

VESPOLINA No info available.

Little Kings Shuffle Club 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/littlekingsshuffleclub KATE MORRISSEY Best known throughout this corridor for her dark velvet voice that stands on its own, Morrissey’s songwriting is literate and sincere, and her conversational live shows come punctuated with an offbeat sense of humor.

NIGHTINGALE NEWS The musical vehicle of local songwriter Coy King (formerly of Sleepy Horses). Expect some indie country with poetic lyricism.

The Melting Point 8:30 p.m. SOLD OUT! www.meltingpointathens.com DEAS VAIL Anthemic, glistening emotional indie rock with lilting lead vocals.

LIGHTS Canadian pop princess with a love for dreamy electronics and synth flourishes.

OWL CITY Internet sensation Owl City plays tender, electronic-infused pop that, yes, sounds a heck of a lot like Postal Service. Check out our interview with Owl City at www. flagpole.com.

New Earth Music Hall 9 p.m. www.newearthmusichall.com WRONG WAY Sublime tribute band.

The Office Lounge 9:30 p.m. FREE! 706-546-0840 THE BORDER LIONS Rock and roll trio that plays ‘70s-inspired songs, ranging from beachy to bluesy.

MOUSER Colby Carter (vocals, guitar) and his expanding gang of backing musicians play efficient and exuberant garage-pop songs that suggest a willingness to experiment, working through noise jams to find the aggressive pop hiding behind.

Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown PLUMNELLE MOON Rock and roll band from Valdosta, GA that believes its sound can “revive any soul.” The group takes cues from Perpetual Groove and Bonnie Raitt, among other diverse influences.

Terrapin Beer Co. 5 p.m. www.terrapinbeer.com ROBBIE HAZEN & THE RIOT Perform compositions that blend acoustic college rock, alt pop and

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 3, 2010

indie folk with an invigorating sense of fun, cleverness and confidence.

Sunday 7 ACC Library 3 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 LIVE! AT THE LIBRARY This month: Dusty Woodruff, classical guitarist and member of the Athens Guitar Trio.

Kingpins Bowl & Brew “Headbanger’s Bowl.” 8 p.m. $3 (21+), $5 (under 21). www.kingpinsbowlandbrew.com BURNS LIKE FIRE Local band featuring members of Karbomb, Wristbandits and Celerity. A quartet of musical disarray!

CONSULT THE BONES Local punk outfit featuring John Edwards of Community Chaos.

KARBOMB Local quartet (Nick Skillman, Jay Kellom, Rory Riley, David Brown) plays high-velocity, erratic and angry punk not dissimilar to early-’90s Orange County stuff.

The Melting Point Friends of Advantage Behavioral Heath Systems Charity Luncheon. 12:30 p.m. $22 (adv.), $25 (door). www. meltingpointathens.com* JAZZCHRONIC Local five-piece explores freaky, funky, psychedelic fusion jazz while incorporating rock, R&B, heavy beats and more into the stew.

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 8 Caledonia Lounge Red Cross Rock Show Benefit for Haiti.

9 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www. caledonialounge.com DAFFODIL Local trio plays fuzzedout, early-’90s sounding heavy rock and roll.

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.

KITE TO THE MOON This year-old band is comprised of experienced Athens natives (Timi Conley, Jay Rodgers, Andrew Hanmer). Kite to the Moon is known for its stimulating live show featuring jubilant, rowdy pop music accompanied by spontaneous video mixing.

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 Monday night 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.

The Melting Point 8-10 p.m. FREE! www.meltingpointathens.com 3RD ANNUAL SWEETHEART DUETS HOOT Musical couples take the stage, each doing 10-minute sets. Featured couples include:

Amanda Kapousouz & Bain Mattox, Fran & Brian Burke, Nancy & Charlie Hartness, Karolyn Troupe & Andrew Heaton, Anna Durden & Lee Hiers, Ann & Jimmy Campbell, Nancy & Joel Byron, Willis Hunter & Jonathan Walker, Page Campbell & Dan Donahue.

See Calendar Pick on this page.

Tuesday 9 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. Tonight features the tango.

Caledonia Lounge 9:30 p.m. $6 (21+), $8 (18+). www. calendonialounge.com DEAD DOG Local band delivers frenetic, spunky lo-fi punk delivered with a pop smile.

JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD Dirty, psychedelic garage rock spews from this energetic Nashville duo.

SCREAMING FEMALES Blistering, gritty punk energy paired with accessible, classic rock rhythms and DIY aesthetic. Featuring Marissa Paternoster on lead guitar and vocals, one of the most mind-blowing, ferocious shredders you’ll ever see.

See story on p. 17.

WITCHES Local rock band featuring Cara Beth Satalino on lead vocals backed by a drummer and bassist.

Influences include The Breeders and Neil Young.

Go Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar CJ BOYD Ambient and experimental sounds mix with electric bass and harmonica to create a multi-layered ethereal musical experience.

Little Kings Shuffle Club 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/littlekingsshuffleclub PUNK ROCK NIGHT Every Tuesday at Little Kings! Featuring a mix of punk rock bands and DJ-led dance parties.

The Melting Point 7 p.m. $3. www.meltingpointathens. com 4 EVER BLUE The band invites you to come “unleash your inner Hillbilly.”

Part of the Bluegrass series.

New Earth Music Hall 9 p.m. www.newearthmusichall.com P.O.S.I.T.I.V.E. New Earth launched its non-profit P.O.S.I.T.I.V.E. (Putting Ourselves In the Immediate Vibration Earth) as a means to raise funds and awareness for various causes through live music. Tonight’s show features Orquesta Grogus and One L playing world music, with proceeds benefiting Doctors Without Borders.

No Where Bar 10 p.m. $1. 706-546-4742 SUMILAN Local progressive jam rockers.

Rye Bar 9 p.m. www.myspace.com/ryebarathens OPEN MIC SERIES Every Monday, six separate acts have the opportunity to impress the judges based on vocals, performance and songwriting.

Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown DREW BESKIN District Attorneys founding member performs his popleaning Americana solo. Performing tonight with special guests.

FOUNDER AND THE INVISIBLES Local singer-songwriter and UGA student Drew Dixon’s band accompanies his John Mayer-like vocals with blues and soul-inspired arrangements.

Wednesday 10 40 Watt Club 8 p.m. $16 (adv.). www.40watt.com EVAN DANDO Frontman of the landmark alternative rock band The Lemondheads, Dando’s solo work emphasizies his candid, visceral songwriting delivered with classic, bittersweet slacker melancholoy.

RETRIC Local musician Ryan Hetrick is backed by a revolving cast of local musicians ranging stylistically from old school rock, bluegrass, acoustic and punk.

Caledonia Lounge 9:30 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www. caledonialounge.com BOW LEGGED GORILLA Impressive beat boxing one-man band from

Monday, February 8

The Sweetheart Duets Hoot The Melting Point Roses are overpriced. Those little hearts taste like antacids. And half the chocolates in the box are filled with disappointment. Forget the holiday marketing hype and enjoy the free Sweethearts Duet Hoot instead, a showcase of local couples joined in love and musical harmony.

Like many of the featured lovebirds, Brian Burke (Normaltown Flyers) and his wife of 35 years, Fran, say they have “only performed at parties in the past.” Singer-songwriter Bain Mattox also rarely collaborates with wife Amanda Kapousouz (Tin Cup Prophette), but is looking forward to playing a special song from a movie their little boy loves.

If you’ve ever marveled over the talented Campbell sisters in Hope for Agoldensummer, you’ll soon learn it Nancy and Charlie Hartness runs in the family when parents Ann and Jimmy Campbell share the stage. Daughter Page is participating as well, with her boyfriend (and longtime collaborator) Dan Donahue in a project they call Dream Boat.

Lee Hiers will be playing his 1926 Gibson L4 while sweetheart Anna Durden (both of Solstice Sisters) sings along. “Lee comes from a strong bluegrass background, where most of the love songs include a killin’… so we’re looking at ‘60s country primarily,” says the couple.

Andrew Heaton (Packway Handle Band) and wife Karolyn Troupe (Venice Is Sinking) put a lot of thought into their song selection. The first song “is a lighthearted number about the weight of going through the motions of staying with the wrong person. Our second selection is an earnest song by a great poet about the lightness of true love.

We chose these two because together they represent what could be the dual nature of Valentine’s day to established couples: it may be just another silly opportunity for the in-love to reflect on their contentment… or it may be one of those twisted and oppressively mandatory ceremonies… to prove vainly to themselves that they are still in love.”

Rounding out the night are Nancy and Charlie Hartness, Joel Byron (Mad Whiskey Grin) and Nancy Byron (Grogus), and Willis Hunter and Jonathan Walker. [Michelle Gilzenrat]

Mary Nelson

THE CALENDAR!

Baltimore who also raps, sings and plays guitar while operating some sort of accordion-type device with his foot.

DAMON MOON AND THE WHISPERING DRIFTERS This band from “the hills of Georgia” mixes guitars, bass and drums to make ‘70s psychedelic-influenced folk rock.

GEISTERKATZEN While there are no descriptions or links to songs online, these guys sure do love cats.

Featuring guitar, keyboards, bass, drums and saxophone, this Athensbased experimental noise band is sure to be interesting.

MACGREGOR BURNS Acoustic guitar and clever lyrics merge to form a folky sound.

La Fiesta on Hawthorne Noon–2 p.m. FREE! 706-548-4261 KEVIN FLEMING Spanish and Latin guitar, every Wednesday during lunch.

The Melting Point 8:30 p.m. $5. www.meltingpointathens. com RACHEL FARLEY Performing since the age of five, this teenager’s decadently rich vocals swoon over country-flavored pop numbers.

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

Down the Line 2/11 Kyshona Armstrong (Farm 255) 2/11 Brad Downs & the Poor Bastard Souls (40 Watt Club) 2/11 Jerry Joseph (Caledonia Lounge) 2/11 Efren / Man Gave Names to All the Animals (Flicker Theatre & Bar) 2/11 The Wailers (New Earth Music Hall) 2/12 Elvis! (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) 2/12 Cold Cave / Nite Jewel / Reptar (Caledonia Lounge) 2/12 Catawba / Efren (Farm 255) 2/12 Daffodil / F’n Heartbreaks / Nuclear Spring (Little Kings Shuffle Club) 2/12 Dark Meat / Judi Chicago (New Earth Music Hall) 2/12 Half Dozen Brass Band (The Melting Point)* 2/13 Sister Hazel (40 Watt Club) 2/13 Ananda Dance Co. (Little Kings Shuffle Club)* 2/13 Harp Unstrung (Terrapin Beer Co.) 2/13 Francine Reed (The Melting Point)* 2/13 Randall Bramblett / Randall Bramblett (The Rialto Room) 2/15 Kenosha Kid (Flicker Theatre & Bar) 2/16 Karaoke (Alibi) 2/16 As Tall As Lions / Cage The Elephant / Morning Teleportation (40 Watt Club) 2/16 Punk Rock Night (Little Kings Shuffle Club) 2/16 Free Lunch Trio (No Where Bar) 2/16 Futurebirds (Tasty World Uptown) 2/16 Mudflapjacks (The Melting Point) 2/17 Elsinore / Soapbar / Spring Tigers / We Landed on the Moon (Caledonia Lounge) 2/17 Kevin Fleming (La Fiesta on Hawthorne) 2/17 Archnemesis / Flight Risk (New Earth Music Hall) 2/17 Nathan Sheppard (No Where Bar)

2/17 Amy Ray’s Rock Show / Brandi Carlile (The Melting Point) 2/18 Akron/Family / Warpaint (40 Watt Club) 2/19 Caltrop / Savagist (Caledonia Lounge) 2/19 Big Gigantic / Two Fresh (New Earth Music Hall) 2/19 Abbey Road LIVE! (The Melting Point) 2/20 Bambara / Reptar (Caledonia Lounge) 2/20 Project 7 (Tasty World Uptown) 2/23 High Strung String Band (The Melting Point) 2/24 Dusty Lightswitch / Manger / Romanenko (Caledonia Lounge) 2/26 Excalibrah / uRbN tRbN (Go Bar) 2/26 Twin Tigers (Caledonia Lounge) 2/26 The Bobby Compton Band (Tasty World Uptown) 2/27 Adam Klein / The Granfalloons / Little Country Giants / Nutria (40 Watt Club) 2/27 Chrissakes / Lamb Handler / Matt Kurz One / Shallow Palace (Caledonia Lounge) 2/27 Daedelus / Gaslamp Killer / The Jogger / Nosaj Thing (New Earth Music Hall) 2/27 Those Darlins (Tasty World Uptown) 2/27 Dirk Howell Band (The Melting Point) 2/28 Black Tusk / No / Pocketful of Claptonite (Kingpins Bowl & Brew) 3/3 Emancipator (New Earth Music Hall) 3/13 Daredevil Christopher Wright / efren (Flicker Theatre & Bar) 3/27 Break Science / Pnuma Trio (New Earth Music Hall) 3/28 Efren / Jason and the Punknecks (Kingpins Bowl & Brew) 3/30 Satellite District / Suburban Soul / Sunset Soundtrack (Caledonia Lounge) 3/31 Mike Speenberg (New Earth Music Hall) 4/8 Ana Sia (New Earth Music Hall) 4/9 Dead Prez / Kidz in the Hall (New Earth Music Hall) 4/14 Prometheus / Shpongle (New Earth Music Hall) * Advance Tickets Available

In the ATL 2/4 Black Eyed Peas (Philips Arena) 2/5 Girls (The EARL) 2/6 New Found Glory (The EARL) 2/6 Umphrey’s McGee (The Tabernacle) 2/8 Motion City Soundtrack (The Masquerade) 2/10 The Friday Night Boys (The Masquerade) 2/11 Sondre Lerche (The EARL) 2/12 Bowerbirds (The EARL) 2/12 Galactic (Variety Playhouse) 2/13 Flogging Molly (The Tabernacle) 2/14 Howie Day (Variety Playhouse) 2/14 Tortoise (The EARL) 2/17 Utah / Mordella / Cat Meat (Drunken Unicorn) 2/18 Keller Williams (Variety Playhouse) 2/19 North Mississippi Allstars (Variety Playhouse) 2/19 Surfer Blood / Holiday Shores / Turbo Fruits (Drunken Unicorn) 2/20 Cedric Burnside (The EARL) 2/23 Leslie and the LY’s (The EARL) 2/23 Tegan and Sarah (Variety Playhouse) 2/25 The Clientele (The EARL) 2/26 Alice in Chains (The Tabernacle) 2/28 Henry Rollins (Variety Playhouse)

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10

EVAN DANDO (of The Lemonheads)

RETRIC doors open at 8pm • sixteen dollars adv. ** 285 W. Washington St. Athens, GA • Call 706-549-7871 for Show Updates

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

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3 & THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4

OF

MONTReAL

JAMES HUSBAND TICKETS GOING FAST!

doors open at 8pm • fifteen dollars adv. *

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5 An Evening of Country Music with

CLAY LEVERETT & FRIENDS BACK PEDDLERS doors open at 10pm • five dollars

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6 Live on Stage

Jonathan Richman featuring

TOMMY LARKINS on drums

doors open at 8pm • music at 9pm eleven dollars adv. **

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11

BRAD DOWNS AND

THE POOR BASTARD SOULS WILLIAM TONKS doors open at 9pm • six dollars GEORGIA THEATRE PRESENTS

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13

SISTER HAZEL B-LIMINAL • ALEX BAND

doors open at 8pm twenty two dollars and fifty cents adv. **

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16

CAGE THE ELEPHANT AS TALL AS LIONS MORNING TELEPORTATION doors open at 8pm • sixteen dollars adv. * ** 2/18

AKRON FAMILY / WARPAINT

2/19-20 VIC CHESNUTT SHOW (CELEBRATION OF HIS LIFE & MUSIC) 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

* Advance Tickets Available

FEBRUARY 3, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

27

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 (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

AUDITIONS Charlotte’s Web (UGA Fine Arts Building) Find a place for yourself in Rose of Athens’ theatrical production of E.B. White’s classic, Charlotte’s Web. Prepare a 1–2 minute monologue and call to schedule an appointment. Feb. 24, 7–9 p.m.

706-340-9181 The Penny Stock Opera (Various Locations) The Young Actors Studio will be holding auditions for this original karaoke musical comedy parodying Broadway musicals 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.young actorsstudio.googlepages.com

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

28

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. Feb. 1, 9 & 16, 1–2 p.m. $20. 706-6133603, www.accleisureservices.com Acting for Film Workshop (106 West Performing Arts Venue, Winder) Open to ages 16 & up.

No acting experience necessary.

Tuesdays, 6:45 p.m. $95 (adults), $65 (students). 770-868-1977, beckytollerson@106west.com Adult Martial Arts (American Black Belt Academy) New classes for a new you. Tuesdays & Thursdays, 11 a.m.–noon. 706-549-1671, www. athensjiujitsu.com Aikido Classes (Classic Martial Arts Club) Aikido is a Japanese martial art that uses throws and joint-locks to control an opponent.

Trial classes are FREE! Mondays & Thursdays, 7 p.m. 706-353-3616, www.classic-mac.com Back Care Yoga (Mind Body Institute) Fight chronic back pain with yoga! Call to register. 706-4757329, www.armc.org/mbi Beginning & Intermediate Wheel Throwing (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation) Potter Maria Dondero instructs this class for beginning and advanced students. Feb. 17–Mar. 24, 6–8 p.m. $140. 706-769-4565, www.ocaf.com 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 Body, Mind & Spirit (Body, Mind & Spirit Ministries) Offering a wide range of self-improvement and spiritual classes and workshops.

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 3, 2010

Full schedule online. 706-351-6024, www.bodymindandspiritofathens. com Chen Style Taijiquan (Floorspace) Effortless power.

Authentic Chinese martial lineage.

Register for ongoing instruction.

Sundays and Mondays, 706-6143342, telihu@gmail.com Classical Pilates (StudiO) Private instruction and group classes offered daily! Schedule online. 678-596-2956, www.studio inathens.com Clay Classes (Good Dirt) Weekly “Try Clay” class every Friday from 7–9 p.m. and “Family Try Clay” every Sunday from 2–4 p.m. ($20/ person). 706-355-3161, www.good dirt.net Computer Class (ACC Library) “Digital Cameras: The Basics.” In the Educational Technology Center. Call to register. Feb. 4, 10–11 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 Computer Workshop (Madison County Library) Four-part series on using a computer. Pre-registration required. Tuesdays, 2-3 p.m. & 7–8 p.m., Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.

FREE! 706-795-5597 Couples Trapeze Workshop (Canopy Studio) An intro to partner aerial dance on the trapeze. No experience necessary. Registration required. Feb. 14, 2–3:30 p.m. $40/ couple. 706-549-8501 Creative Kids (Blue Tin Art Studio) Help your little artist grow this February! Fee includes materials.

Call to register. Tuesdays, 3:30–4:30 p.m. $75. 404-556-6884, www.blue tinstudio.com 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

Kathy Prescott’s transfer collages are on display at the Lamar Dodd School of Art through May 7. 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 Encaustics Workshop (Blue Tin Studio, Studio C, 393 N. Finley Street) Learn step-by-step techniques for painting with beeswax.

Feb. 13, 9:30–noon. $40 (includes materials). 404-556-6884, www. bluetinstudio.com Family Yoga (Mind Body Institute) Offering instruction for kids in grades K–5 when accompanied by an adult. Call ahead. Sundays, through Feb. 21, 3–4 p.m. $50/5 classes. 706-475-7329, www.armc. org/mbi “Fooling Around with Form” (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation) Poet and essayist Dana Wildsmith leads this poetry workshop which encourages writers to explore fixed forms through nonthreatening exercises and prompts.

For novices and experienced poets alike. Feb. 6, 13 & 20. $160. 706769-4565, info@ocaf.com, www. danawildsmith.com Genealogy 101: The Basics (Oconee County Library) Learn how to begin your family history research! Registration required. Feb. 6, 3–4:30 p.m. & Feb. 11, 4–5:30 p.m.

FREE! 706-769-3950 Genealogy 102: Census Records Online (Oconee County Library) Research family history online using Ancestry Library Edition and HeritageQuest Online.

Genealogy 101 is a prerequisite for this class. Call to register. Feb. 23, 3–4 p.m. FREE! 706-769-3950 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 Glass Fusing Workshop (Good Dirt) Participants will make pendants and jewelry in time for Valentine’s Day! Fee includes materials and firing. Call to register. Feb. 7, 2–4 p.m. $50. 706-355-3161, www. gooddirt.net HeritageQuest Online (ACC Library) Librarian Laura Carter will walk you through the online research tool and teach you how to use it to trace your family roots. Feb. 20, 2 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 “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 art work in any medium. Feb. 6, 10–11:30 a.m. $20 fee. 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 Jewelry and Metals (Blue Tin Art Studio) Meet once a week in February. Call to register.

Wednesdays, 6:30–8:30 p.m. $75 (includes materials). 404-556-6884, www.bluetinstudio.com Kids Yoga (Vastu School of Yoga) Children derive enormous benefits from many easy and fun poses.

Tuesdays, 5:30–6:15 p.m. 561-7236172, vastuyoga@hotmail.com Kids’ Art Classes (Oglethorpe County Library) Free afterschool art classes through Mar. 1! Space is limited; call to save your spot.

Mondays, 3:30–5:30 p.m. FREE! 706-743-8817 Laugh-a-Yoga (Mind Body Institute) Laugh your stress away.

Feb. 5, noon. $5. 706-475-7329, mbiprograms@armc.org

Laugh-a-Yoga (Mind Body Institute) Laugh your stress away.

Feb. 19, 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, mbi programs@armc.org Meditation (Vastu School of Yoga, Chase Park Warehouse) Begin every day with relaxing meditation. 6–7 a.m. FREE! 561-723-6172, vastu yoga@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 Money Matters (ACC Library) “The Importance of Managing Your Credit Score” will teach you how to obtain and evaluate your credit report and score, while “Introduction to Investing” offers some direction as to how to wisely invest your money. No registration necessary. Feb. 8 & 24, 7 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 Nature Photography Class (Sandy Creek Park) Can’t tell a purple martin from a yellow warbler in your camera phone picture gallery? Learn how to do it right with this one-day class led by nature photographer Rodney Hayhurst.

Call to register. Feb. 27, 1–3 p.m. $5. 706-613-3631, www.accleisure services.com Pet CPR (Memorial Park) Learn how to help your pets in case of a medical emergency. For ages 13 and up.

Call to register! Feb. 10, 6–8 p.m. $30. 706-613-3580

Pilates Classes (Balance Pilates and Wellness Studio) Offering highquality instruction in Pilates. Mat classes and apparatus classes available! Schedule and info about private lessons online. 706-546-1061, www.balancepilatesathens.com “Releasing Your Inner Muse” (Athens YMCA) Ananda Dance Co. instructs this one-day workshop on modern dance techniques. 3–5 p.m. $30. www.habibi hafla.eventbrite.com Running into Yoga (Five Points Yoga) Seasoned runners and walkers are invited to this month-long class which incorporates stretching, breathing and relaxation techniques into your workout. Through Feb. 18, Tuesdays & Thursdays, $120. www. athensfivepointsyoga.com Tae Kwon Do & Jodo Classes (Live Oak Martial Arts, Chase Street Warehouses) For kids and adults, beginner through advanced.

Mondays–Thursdays, 3:30-8:30 p.m. 706-548-0077, www.liveoak martialarts.com 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 Wilderness Skills Program (Greenway) Should you yell at that bear or run away? Is sucking out the poison really a good idea? How do you build an outdoor shelter when the streets are no longer safe? Do these questions make you feel helpless and vulnerable? Don’t be caught unprepared; call to register and learn essential outdoor survival techniques. Kids 16 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Feb. 6, 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m. $2. 706-613-3615 Yoga and Tai Chi Classes (Athens Wellness Cooperative) For beginners through experienced. See full calendar online. $14/drop-in, $60/6 classes, $108/12 classes. www.wellnesscooperative.com Yoga Classes (Om Town Yoga, 190 Park Avenue) Lyengar certified Yoga instruction for balance, strength, flexibility and stamina.

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

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. Call to register. 561-7236172, vastuyoga@hotmail.com Yoga Fusion for Dancers (Athens YMCA) Ananda Dance Co. instructs this one-day workshop.

Feb. 13, 1–2 p.m. $15. www.habibi hafla.eventbrite.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 Yoshukai Karate (AKF Itto Martial Arts) Learn Yoshukai Karate, a traditional hard Okinawan style. www. athensyk.com Zumba (Lay Park) A one-of-a-kind fitness program fusing Latin rhythms and simple steps. Mondays, 6–7 p.m. $6. 706-613-3596 Zumba at the Garden (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves comprise this dynamic fitness program. Wednesdays, through Feb. 24.

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

HELP OUT! Become a Mentor (Boys and Girls Clubs of Athens) Volunteer one hour per week to make a difference in the life of a child. Training provided. 706-546-4910, mentor@ athensbgca.com, www.fflife.net Call for Volunteers Athens Indie Craftstravaganzaa is seeking volunteers to assist with an upcoming community-oriented arts event. volunteerscraftstravaganzaa@gmail. com Donations Needed (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation) OCAF seeks new or used items for its annual Thrift Sale Fundraiser. Drop off items from 2–7 p.m. Thursdays and

ART AROUND TOWN ACC Library (Upstairs) Floral photography by Kathy Berry. Through February. (Top of the Stairs Gallery) Paintings by Mia Merlin. Through February.

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

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.

Chappelle Gallery (25 S. Main St., Watkinsville) Original works on paper by Carter McCaffrey through March.

Five Star Day Café (229 E. Broad St.) Photographs

by A.A. Hart. Through Feb. 14.

Flicker Theatre & Bar (263 W. Washington St.) Photography by Janet Geddis. Proceeds benefit Avid Bookshop, coming soon to a neighborhood near you.

Through February.

The Grit (199 Prince Ave.) New paintings by artist and tattooist David Hale. Through Feb. 7.

Highwire Lounge (254 W. Clayton St.) Mixed media portraits by Christopher DeDe Giddens. Through February.

Just Pho…and More (1063 Baxter St.) Work by Richard “Ole” Olsen. Through Mar. 15.

Lamar Dodd School of Art (Gallery 307) “@ LAST,” an exhibit featuring ceramic sculpture

10 a.m.–2 p.m. Saturdays at Rocket Hall. Donations accepted through Mar. 7. 706-769-4565, info@ocaf. com Foster an Animal Victim of Domestic Violence (Various Locations) Ahimsa House needs foster homes and families to shelter pets from abusive situations. 404496-4038 ext. 713, foster@ahimsa house.org Shoes for Haiti Soles4Souls is now accepting shoes and monetary donations for earthquake victims in Haiti. Drop-off location is the Masada Leather and Outdoor store at 238 E. Clayton St. downtown. 706546-5014, www.soles4souls.org Soccer Coaches Needed The ACC Department of Leisure Services is currently seeking volunteer coaches for the upcoming spring soccer season. 706-613-3871, www. accleisureservices.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 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 Parent/Child Workshop (ACC Library, Storyroom) For children ages 1–3 and their caregivers. Inperson registration is required. Open to first-time participants. 10–11 a.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 Spanish Mommy and Me Classes (Email for Location) Learn Spanish with your preschooler

by Arthur Gonzalez. Through Feb. 19. (Gallery 101) Large-scale acrylic paintings from the New York studio of longtime Lamar Dodd School of Art faculty member Jim Herbert. Through Feb. 3. (Room S371) An exhibit of paintings featuring everyday objects and domestic articles by artist Blake Shirley. Through Feb. 10. (Gallery 307) “Translucent Fusions,” an exhibit featuring transfer collages on wood by Kathy Prescott.

Through May 7.

Madison-Morgan Cultural Center (434 S. Main Street, Madison) John Wayne, Teddy Roosevelt, Annie Oakley, the Wicked Witch of the West and Superman are among the 23 Andy Warhol silkscreen portraits on display. Through Apr. 2.

Mercury Art Works Vibrantly colorful figurative oil paintings by John Ahee. Through March.

Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation (34 School Street, Watkinsville) “Heart & Soul: A Celebration of Black History Month” showcases the work of eight black artists sharing their history and experiences. Through Feb. 20.

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

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 Mar. 12.

White Tiger Gourmet Food & Chocolates (217 Hiawasee Ave.) New paintings by Jeremy Hughes re-present familiar images from popular culture, the Internet and various other media. Through February. Reception Feb. 12.

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. Apr. 9 & 11. $50 (materials included), scholarships available. 706-613-3623, www.acc leisureservices.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/ Yoga Sprouts (Memorial Park) Fun, playful yoga for kids ages two and up. Now registering! Call for information on sessions, fees and scholarships. Tuesdays. 706-3533373 Youth Soccer (Bishop Park) Now registering for ages 4–12. Season runs Mar. 27–May 15. All games played at Southeast Clarke Park. $42–$63 (scholarships available).

Register: 706-613-3871, www.acc leisureservices.com

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 the Project Safe hotline: 706-543-3331. Second and fourth Thursday of the month in Clarke County. First and third Thursday of the month in Madison County.

6–8 p.m.

Double Trouble (Clarke County Courthouse, 3rd Floor) Support group for those in the community with a dual diagnosis of mental health and chemical dependency issues. Peer chaired Mondays and Thursdays. 5:30 p.m. FREE! double troubleathens@hotmail.com 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 the Project Safe hotline: 706-543-3331. Wednesdays, 6:30–8 p.m.

Emotions Anonymous (Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens) Informal and supportive 12-step program open to anyone with a strong desire to become well emotionally. Sundays, 4–5 p.m.

706-202-7463, www.emotions anonymous.org Survivors of Suicide (Nuçi’s Space) Open to anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide. Meets the third Wednesday of every month.

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

For more information or to register:

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

d t and Independent and Distance Distan eLearning Learning(IDL) (ID

S Suite 193 • 1197 South Sout Lumpkin L mpk Street Street• Athens, Athen GA G h Un U iversity ty of G gi a isi committed ommitted to nity and tion.

The Georg toprinciples pr nciple ofofequal equa opport op ortunity andaffirmative affirmativea acti

ON THE STREET Baseball Registration The Athens Area Men’s Baseball League is signing up players and teams for spring. Register by Mar. 6. 706-2078939, www.aambl.com FREE! Tax Assistance (Oconee County Library) Offered by AARP Tax Aide. For taxpayers with low to moderate income, with special attention to those 60+ years old. Mondays, 1–4:30 p.m. 706-769-3950 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

FEBRUARY 3, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

29

comics

30

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 3, 2010

reality check Matters Of The Heart And Loins My boyfriend and I have been dating for about five months. We live far away from each other (for now) and are on opposite schedules (for now). He has a real job in a real city, and I am in college in a small city and work at a bar late into the night. Despite all of this, we have been getting along very well. We see each other about twice a month, talk on the phone every day, and text each other during work (his and mine). There have been some bumps in the road, but mostly things are going well.

I plan to move to where he lives after I graduate in May. Recently, a strange thing happened. On a weekend, he was out with some friends, and there was a girl with them who was his friend’s cousin. That friend of his doesn’t live in his town, but she was out with them because the friend asked my boyfriend to show her around a bit. They knew each other from before, and as far as I know, it was completely platonic, and she was staying with her sister, so no big deal. Well, as it turned out, it got late and the girl asked to stay with my boyfriend instead, because she didn’t want to go to her sister’s house so late. My boyfriend took her back to his place and set her up in his room and went to sleep on the couch. So he says. All of this would be fine with me except that he texted me ONE message that whole night, which was “I’ll call you tomorrow,” and then he was unavailable to me. Now, I have no reason not to trust him, but we never text each other that little in a whole night, and it made me really uncomfortable. What made it worse was that the next time I went to visit I actually met her,

because apparently she is moving into the city and she made friends with some of his friends, and she is really attractive. I can’t help but be jealous and suspicious, but I am afraid to bring it up because I don’t want to cause a fight. What do you think?

Confused I think you either trust the guy or you don’t, Confused, and it’s that simple. You two are long distance, and you spend a lot of time apart. If he has a real job then he has limited free time, and if he spends that much of it calling, texting and visiting you, then it seems to me that he actually likes you and wants a relationship with you. Is there another reason why you think something happened? Maybe he was trying to be a good host and didn’t want to be texting back and forth with you all night when he was out showing this girl a good time and trying to make her feel included.

I’m not making excuses for the guy, I’m just trying to imagine the situation. I personally

find it obnoxious when adults can’t leave their damned phones alone while they are out with friends. It’s one thing if you are communicating with somebody who is trying to meet up with you, but at some point you really ought to pay some attention to the people you are actually out with, you know? If you really want to know, then you should ask him. But unless you have a better reason to suspect him than the fact that this girl is hot, I think you should trust him and forget about it.

My girlfriend is a lot younger than I am. I am in my early 30s and freshly divorced. I was with my wife for 15 years, and as much as I like her as a person and respect her and want her to be happy, we just aren’t right for each other anymore. So, I met this other woman, and she is 19 and she still lives at home. Her mom and I are actually closer in age than she and I are. This makes me uncomfortable. And it makes her mom mad. But I can’t help it because I am completely enamored of her and we get along really well. Her friends (most of them are older and a few are my age) and co-workers don’t seem to think it’s a big deal. My friends think it’s great, but they don’t take the relationship seriously. They assume I’m just sowing some oats because of the divorce, and no matter what I say they don’t believe that I am serious about her. How much of an age difference is realistic? Am I insane to think I can make this work? Am I doomed to have my heart broken or worse?

Anonymous Well, if you think about it, you haven’t dated anybody since you were her age, so your experience levels are probably pretty similar in that regard. You might want to get that across to her mom, if you can get close enough without getting your ass kicked.

Or better yet, have her say that to her mom. You have probably slept with fewer women (assuming you were faithful to your wife) than any guy her own age she might meet.

And you are probably more stable. Look, there are no risk-free relationships, Anonymous. If you really like her, then you should absolutely stay with her. If it lasts, then your friends will eventually figure out that you’re serious. The good news is that her friends seem to be totally accepting of you.

And since many of her friends are older than her, it’s obvious that she is mature for her age.

I would say that this relationship is just as risky, but not more risky, than any other. You are no more likely to get your heart broken than anybody else. You do have the experience of one very long-term relationship to help you navigate, which will help. If I were you, I would be more worried about broken windows and broken bones. Talk to her mom. Make peace. Good luck.

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

FEBRUARY 3, 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 Proper ties (706) 546-0300.

1BRs and Studios.

Princeton Court Apts. Close to UGA. On busline. Nice quiet complex. If you want good neighbors & pleasant place to live, call Tommy (706) 540-3595.

1BR/1BA. All electric. Nice apt.

Water provided. On busline.

Single preferred. Avail. now!

(706) 543-4271.

1BR/1BA. $495-525/mo. overlooking Dwntn & campus.

All electric, lg. BRs, some w/ screened porches, laundry on site. Freshly renovated & priced right. Avail. now.

Call (706) 548-9797 or b o u l e v a rd ​p ro p e r t y​ management.com.

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 req’d. $450/mo.

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

1BR studio w/ full kit. & BA. W/D. incl. Reduced to $300/mo. + $300/sec dep.

Avail. now. Won’t last! (706) 254-2936.

2BR/2BA apt. in East Athens.

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

1 & 2BR apts. All electric. Lg. backyds., carports, close to 5 Pts. Eastside apts also avail.

Pet friendly. Rent ranging from $550–$575/mo. (706) 424-0770.

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.

flagpole classifieds Reach Over 30,000 Readers Every Week!

Business Services Real Estate Music For Sale

Employment Vehicles Messages Personals

BASIC RATES* Individual Real Estate Business (RTS) Run-‘Til-Sold** Online Only***

$10 per week $14 per week $16 per week $40 per 12 weeks $5 per week

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

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

• Deadline to place ads is 11:00 a.m. every Monday for the following Wednesday issue • All ads must be prepaid • Set up an account to review your placement history or replace old ads at flagpole.com

32

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 3, 2010

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.

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.

Available January.

Spacious 2BR Dwntn apts.

3 blocks from N. campus.

Out of bar scene. Close to everything. Call Geor ge (706) 340-0987.

A R M C / N o r m a l t o w n A re a .

Only $400/mo.! 1BR/1BA. Next door to hospital & Navy School. 1 mi. to Dwntn. Avail. immediately or pre–lease for Fall. (706) 788-2152 or email thomas2785@aol.com.

College Station 2BR/2BA. All appls + W/D, FP, xtra closet space, water/garbage incl. $575/mo. Call & ask about rent discount! Owner/Agent (706) 340-2450.

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. now! Pls. call (706) 7690205 evening, (706) 207-5175.

Lv. msg.

Downtown 1BR/1BA F l a t . $ 4 6 5 / m o . Water, gas, trash p/u incl., fitness room, on–site laundry. Text “Columns” to 41513. www. joinermanagement.com.

Joiner Management (706) 353-6868.

Downtown Apartments.

4BR/2BA. Fully updated.

New kitchen. W/D, Deck.

Won’t last long, rents fast! Call Stacy at (706) 425-4048.

Downtown Apartment.

Spacious 1BR/1BA in Univ ersity Tower, cor ner of Broad & Lumpkin. Great view. $750/mo. Call (706) 255-3743.

Eastside. 2BR apt. $550 + dep. W/D hookup, gas heat. Avail. now! Call (706) 540-1265.

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.

10 COMPLEXES 1 NUMBER!

706-353-6868 X

oo Arbor to 41513 Royal to 41513 Cedar to 41513 Barnett to 41513 Patriot to 41513 Tanyard to 41513 or edrooms: Arbor to 41513 Lynnrock to 41513 Hillside to 41513 Columns to 41513 For pictures and floor plans j i c

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.

Walk to 5 Pts. On busline, next to Lake Herrick & dog park. 2BR/2.5BA, W/D, DW, FP, outside private terrace, pool. Lots of parking! Walk to campus, oversized BRs & closets. Quiet, convenient.

Pets OK. $675/mo. Call (706) 338-9018.

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.

Apartments for Sale



Great location, 5 Pts., Loop, Memorial Park.

3BR/2BA condo. LR/DR. Master BR has walk–in closet. Ceiling fans. W/D. (770) 310-8603, email theresa@nossett.com.

100 Downing Way. $115K.

Commercial Property 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.

MANAGEMENT

For instant info

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.

JAMESTOWN

CONDOS

2BR / 2.5BA Townhomes $650

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

Call Today for Move-In Specials

Hamilton & Associates

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

Athens Executive Suites.

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

Single or multiple offices avail.

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



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@parkerand associates.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.

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.

Paint Artist Studios H i s t o r i c B o u l e v a rd A re a Artist Community 160 Tracy St. Rent: 400 sq. ft. $200/mo.

300 sq. ft. $150/mo. (706) 546-1615 or www.athenstown properties.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 1 duplex apt suitable for 1 person or a couple. Avail. now on Oconee Street near Dwntn. Conver ted 1890s house, big porch, & backyard, all appls, some furnishings, pet friendly. 1BR/1BA & in excellent condition. $499/ mo. Call Drew at (706) 2022712 or email drewclimber@ yahoo.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.

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

Near UGA, Memorial Park & B i rc hm 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.

Houses for Rent $1250/mo. 3BR/2BA, Huge bonus rm., split floor plan, completely remodeled, vaulted ceiling, granite tops, HWflrs., stainless steel appls., oil–rubbed bronze fixtures, FP. 2200 sq. ft. Big flat yard, private deck. Avail. now. 110 Victory Estates Dr. Owner/Agent. Call Mike (706) 207-7400. $650/mo. 2BR/1BA cottage on quiet street blocks from Navy School (Lucille St). Feb. 1st lease. All appls., CVAC, vaulted rooms, fenced area, pet friendly, surrounded by trees. John (706) 372-1052. $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 charm, modern amenities.

Porches, & yds. Pet friendly.

These go fast! Email for list: luckydawg96@yahoo.com. $950/mo. 3BR/2BA house in country. 9 mi. from Dwntn.

W/D hookup, DW, FP. Call (706) 540-8461. $850/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.

110 Whitehall Road, 2BR/1BA w/ lg. extra room. New Paint, HWflrs., HVAC, Pets OK w/ dep. $750/mo. Sec. dep. req’d. Dorian (706) 340-7136.

1080 Oglethorpe Ave. City busline. Upscale 2-3BR/1BA. Patio, lg. laundry. Great local/ condition. Lawn maintenance possible. 1st mo. utilities paid.

Short term OK. $750-$850/mo.

(706) 353-0708.



2BR/1BA. Kitchen ap p l s . , l g . co ve re d deck, HWflrs, CHAV, fenced–in yd. W/D hook–ups, 1/3 mi. to Mama’s Boy & 1 mi. to campus. $850/mo. Pets OK! Call (706) 207-1216.

2BR duplexes starting at $450/ mo. Pls. call (706) 549-6070.

2BR/2BA on 22 ac., 35 mins from Athens. Trails, creek, fish pond. Artist designed sunny house. CHAC, W/D, free well water. Neighbors organic farm. Pets welcome.

Ogelthorpe Co. Avail. immediately or 8/1. $700/mo.

Call Rose (706) 540-5979.

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.

Blvd area. CHAC, W/D, DW, HWflrs., porch. $750/mo. Call/ text (706) 714-4486, email hathawayproperties@gmail.com.

3BR/2BA. Preleasing. 5 Pts. CHAC, W/D, DW, fenced yd., deck. $450/BR. Call/ text (706) 714-4486, email hathawayproperties@gmail.com.

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.

4BR/2BA. Preleasing. Close to campus. CHAC, W/D, DW, fenced yd., sec. sys. $1200/ mo. Call/text (706) 714-4486, email hathawayproperties@ gmail.com.

4BR/4BA house. $900 special! W/D, sec. sys., 24 hr. maint. service, pets welcome, lawn & pest incl.

(706) 552-3500. Go to www. hancockpropertiesinc.com.

4BR/2BA quaint house in country. 9 mi. from Dwntn Athens. Avail. now! $1050/mo.

(706) 540-8461.

4BR/2BA. CHAC, FP, HWflrs, D W, f r i d g e w / i c e / w a t e r in–door, W/D. Lg. porch & yd. Must have ref’s. 116 Whitehead Rd. $998/mo. (706) 714-1100.

4 lg. private BRs w/ full BAs. Common living area w/ fully equipped eat–in kitchen, W/D, CHAC. 6 mi. from campus. $910/ mo. + dep. (770) 842-7351.

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.

Blvd. area. 133 Virginia Ave. 2BR/1BA. Close to Dwntn.

HWflrs. W/D hook-ups, cats OK, off street parking. $700/ mo. Sec. dep & refs req’d. Call (706) 202-9805.



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.

First month free! 2–3BRs in quiet setting, off the beaten path. Sec. sys. incl.

W/D, DW, priv. deck. Mention this ad & pay no pet fee! ( 7 0 6 ) 5 4 8 - 2 5 2 2 , w w w. dovetailmanagement.com.

Forest Heights. 260 Robinhood Ct. 3BR/2BA Newly Renovated, W/D, secluded, $1K. (706) 296-1200.

Great homes! Mostly HWflrs. 4 9 3 0 M a r s Hill Rd. Oconee Co. 3BR/2BA, $895/mo. 597 Dearing St. off Milledge.

4BR/2BA, $1295/mo.

105 Whitehall Rd., 2BR/1BA, $595/mo. 125 Ever green Terrace 3BR/2BA, $895/mo. (706) 546-7946, Flowersnancy@ bellsouth.net. See virtual tours www.nancy flowers.com.

Newly renovated 4BR/3BA for rent in ARMC area. W/D, DW, CHAC, screen porch, game room, off–street parking. $1200/mo. Call Vicki at (706) 540-7113 to set up a tour.

Nor thside 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. r m. w/ FP, din. r m., double garage, $975/mo. Call McWaters Realty, (706) 549-3222, (706) 353-2700, (706) 540-1529.

Now preleasing for Fall!

1–4BR houses. $350–$1500.

Close to Dwntn & pet friendly.

These lease up fast! Go to www.deklerealty.com, (706) 548-0580.

Pristine Five Points Cottage. 1 block to 5 Pts. Wa l k / b i k e e v e r y w h e re !

2BR/1BA. HWflrs, HVAC, FP, sunroom, fenced yd., http:// fivepointsrental.tripod.com. $1100/mo. Avail. 6/15. (706) 338-7364.

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

Recently renovated in–town. 3BR/1BA. HVAC, W/D, all HWflrs, alarm. Walk to Kroger, library, movies, Post Office, drugstore, shopping.

Cats OK. (706) 248-7100, lv. msg.

Send someone a message in Flagpole for the Valentine's Day issue.

Only $10 for 25 words. That is cheaper than 2 glasses of champagne & will last forever!! Call (706) 5490301 by Monday Feb. 8 at 11AM.

Houses for Sale



220 Bentwood. $149,900. 3BR/2BA in Winterville. Motivated Sellers!

Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty, www.ReignSold.com, (706) 543-4000, (706) 3724166. Call Reign!

370 Cleveland. $97K. Pulaski Heights. 1BR/1BA. C a l l Reign at Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty! (706) 5434000, (706) 372-4166, visit www.ReignSold.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, visit www.

ReignSold.com.

Pre-Leasing 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.

Five Points Fall Rentals.

1, 2, 3, 4 bedroom Houses & A p t s . S e e a t w w w. bondrealestate.org. Herbert Bond Realty, Owner/Broker.

(706) 224-8002.

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.

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.

Tables, chairs, sofas, antiques, clothes, records & players, retro goods, & more! Cool, affordable furniture every day.

Go to Agora! Your favorite everything store! 260 W. Clayton St., (706) 316-0130.

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.

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.

Roommates $300/mo. & 1/3 utils.

Ready for move-in February 1st. 3BR/2BA. Home is furnished & has W/D, DW, HVAC, gym. Deck. 10 mins from Dwntn. Off street parking.

(706) 201-3878.

Go to flagpole.com to place your Classified Ad today.

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.

Hip roommate wanted for Nor m al town cottage. A l l amenities, all inclusive, only $400/mo. 2 mi. to campus. On busline. No pets. (706) 2026180. Avail. immediately!

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.

Look! M/F for 3BR/2BA. W/D, DW, FP, deck, fenced yds., garage. Cool roommates.

Avail. Feb. 20. $325/mo.+ utils. 10 min drive to Dwntn.

(352) 215-0056.

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.

Relisted! Roommate needed ASAP for house off Pulaski St. Screened porch, W/D. Only a 10 min. walk from Dwntn. Only $250/mo. (706) 548-9744.

Amazing renovated 5 B R / 3 B A . 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.

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.

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.

WELCH PLACE

Save on rent. 1–7 SWM/SWF roommates wanted. 2BR duplex off Tallassee. $480/mo. + dep. + utils. (706) 206-9835.

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.

For Sale Furniture New 5 piece cherry BR set, $399. Clean Pillowtop mattress set, $170. (706) 612-8004.

Miscellaneous 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.

Pets Dumbo rats. Make great pets!

Males $5, Females $6. Not feeder rats! Pls. call Todd (706) 540-6734.

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) 238-8413 (AAN CAN).

Music Equipment 1996 Les Paul Studio, ebony finish, case incl. $495. Fender Blues Jr. amp. USA made.

Excellent condition. $375. Call (770) 778-5077.

Barely used! 1 yr. old Yamaha portable grand piano. DGX, YPG-635 w/ accompaniment module. Weighted 88 keys.

Stand incl. $500. (860) 9300005, or (706) 201-2935.

Gibson Explorer, black 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 expert.

Instrument repairs avail. (706) 543-5800.

Athens Piano School.

P re m i u m P i a n o L e s s o n s Guaranteed. All ages & levels welcome from beginners to advanced. Discounts for families & UGA students. Visit www.AthensPianoSchool.com or call (706) 549-0707. ➤ continued on next page

CALL DEALFOR S!

The BEST Deal in Five Points Just Got Better! $

From 315 a Bedroom

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

706-549-7371

FEBRUARY 3, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

33

Music Services A Sharp Turn. Athens hot new jazz trio available for private parties, weddings, & any event seeking tight, straight–ahead jazz standards.

Affordable rates! Contact (706) 461-1794.

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

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

Guitar Repair, setups, electronics & fretwork by 20 yr. pro. Thousands of previous clients. Proceeds help benefit Nuçi’s Space. Contact Jeff (404) 643-9772 or www.

AthensGuitar.com for details.

Looking for a fun, classy 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 v i s i t w w w. s q u a t m e . com/weddings. (706) 548-0457.

Wedding Bands. Quality, professional bands. Weddings, parties. Rock, Jazz, etc. Call Classic City Entertainment.

(706) 549-1567. www.classiccity entertainment.com. Featuring The Magictones—Athens’ premiere wedding & party band. www.themagictones.com.

Musicians Wanted PT touring band (average 2 wknds/mo.) looking for l i g h t i n g d e s i g n e r. O w n equipment a +. Send email to info@abbeyroadlive.com.

Services Home and Garden Appliance Repair in your home.

30 yrs. experience in kitchen, laundry, & refrigerator appliance repair. Call (770) 867-4928.

Backyard Solutions.

Make your neighbors envious!

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

Massage Enjoy a couples massage in a private suite on Valentine’s Day: $120 per couple. Gift cards are also on sale for $40 (1st time clients). Go to www. revolutionarymassage for more info.

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!

UberPrints.com is looking for FT customer service reps & production artists!

Excellent work environment.

Located near Dwntn Athens.

To lear n more about our openings & to apply, please v i s i t w w w. u b e r p r i n t s . com/jobs.

Opportunities 29 People Wanted. Get paid $$ for pounds & inches. You will lose in 30 days! (800) 2078915, www.u2canlose.com.

Bulldawg Pizza. Now hiring experienced delivery drivers for wkend shifts. Call (706) 355-3294. 2026 S. Milledge Ave. $$Apply today$$.

Bartenders in demand.

No experience necessary.

Make up to $300 per s h i f t . P T, d a y, e v e n i n g , night shifts avail. Training, placement, certification provided. Call (877) 8799153 (AAN CAN).

Does your daughter have symptoms of bulimia nervosa? Has your daughter injured herself on purpose?

Researchers at the University of Georgia Psychology C l i n i c a re c o n d u c t i n g 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 $40! UGA researchers looking for F age 18 & older who purge at least twice/ mo. to participate in a 1–visit re s e a rc h s t u d y. C o n t a c t bnstudy@uga.edu.

Ear n $75-$200/hr. Media Makeup Artist Training for ads, TV, film, fashion. 1 wk. class.

Stable job in weak economy.

D e t a i l s a t h t t p : / / w w w.

Awardmakeupschool.com, (310) 364-0665 (AAN CAN).

Participants may be given a beverage to drink which may or may not contain alcohol. Participants will then be given questionnaires and computer aided tasks to complete. Study will take up to 2 hours to complete. Participants who consumed alcohol cannot leave the lab until a BAC < 0.03% is achieved; during which time they can watch a movie or listen to music.

Dr. Ezemenari M. Obasi of the UGA Department of Counseling and Human Development Services is the Primary Investigator.

34

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 3, 2010

FLAGPOLE BUSINESS/ SERVICE CLASSIFIED AD R AT E S : A d v e r t i s e y o u r business or service in the Flagpole Classifieds for $16/ wk. or $48/mo. 15% Discount for ad runs exceeding 8 weeks.

Call Paul at (706) 549-0301.

Free Advice! We’ll help you choose a program or degree to get your career & your life on track. Call Collegebound Network Today! (877) 8922642 (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 experience 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) 646-1700 dept. GA–3058.

Part-time Athens-Clarke County Public Information Office seeking PT Office Assistant. Experience w/ Photoshop, InDesign a +.

Details at www.athenshr.com.

Apply by Feb. 5.

Mystery shoppers earn up to $100/day. Undercover 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 Mini Cooper for sale. 2006.

5–spd., manual, sports package w/ new clutch.

Blue w/ leather interior & MP3 player. $13K OBO. (706) 540-8440.

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 Send someone a message in Flagpole for the Valentine's Day issue.

Only $10 for 25 words. That is cheaper than 2 glasses of champagne!! Call (706) 549-0301 by Monday Feb. 8 at 11AM.

Eat. Drink. Listen Closely.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2

Terrapin Bluegrass Series featuring

BORDERHOP TRIO

2 TERRAPIN PINT SELECTIONS ALL NIGHT! $

Tickets $3

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3

FRONTIERS

TRIBUTE TO JOURNEY Tickets $8 adv. • $10 at the door

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4 GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

Louisiana Blues Guitarist

TAB BENOIT

Tickets $16 adv. • $20 at the door

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5

STRAWBERRY FLATS Tickets $10

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7

Friends of Advantage Behavorial Health Systems Charity Luncheon featuring

JAZZCHRONIC

Tickets $22 adv. • $25 at the door • Event begins at 12:30pm

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8 Athens Folk and Music and Dance Society present

THE SWEETHEARTS DUET HOOT FREE Show!

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10

RACHEL FARLEY

Tickets $5

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11

THE BIG DADDY’S Tickets $7

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12

Family Counseling Benefit Mardi Gras Athens featuring

THE HALF DOZEN BRASS BAND Tickets $?

A Very Special Valentine’s Eve featuring

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13

FRANCINE REED AND JAVA MONKEY Packages include overnight stay, show tickets and dinner.

Available by calling 706-549-7020

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14

TRIBUTE TO BILLIE HOLIDAY

featuring LESLIE HELPERT Music 7-10pm • Special Sweethearts Tapas Menu • Tickets $7 adv. • $10 at the door

ABBEY ROAD LIVE!

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19

Tickets $10 adv. • $12 at the door

COMING SOON 2/16 - THE MUDFLAPJACKS 2/17 - BRANDI CARLILE, AMY RAY’S ROCK SHOW (SOLD OUT, Thank You!) 2/27 - DIRK HOWELL BAND 3/2 - JOHNNY ROQUEMORE AND THE APOSTLES OF BLUEGRASS 3/6 - PRICHETT BROTHERS , MIKE DEKLE 3/12 - HOLMAN AUTRY BAND 3/13 - ANDY McKEE LOCATED ON 3/17 - St. Patrick’s Day Celebration featuring THE GROUNDS OF SHORT ROAD HOME, GREEN FLAG 3/19 - ANDY CARLSON BAND

295 E. DOUGHERTY ST., ATHENS, GA

706.254.6909

WWW.MELTINGPOINTATHENS.COM

FOR TICKETS & SHOWTIMES OR CALL THE BOX OFFICE 706.254.6909

FEBRUARY 3, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

35

J’s Bottle Shop Cheers! Package SAM’S FOOD MART

and

SAM’S FOOD MART

! s in g e B y t r a P e h t e r e Wh

BUD and BUD LIGHT CANS

CHILLED

KEGS

20.99

$

AVAILABLE!

BACARDI

20.99

$

1800 TEQUILA

19.99

$

1.75L

29.99

$

750mL

12 PACK

CASE DISCOUNT ON WINE AND LIQUOR AVAILABLE!

CROWN ROYAL

COLLECTION SERIES

BUD ICE

8.99

$

1L

SMIRNOFF

20.99 $ 9.99

$

JIM BEAM

19.99

$

1.75L

750mL

1.75L

H C T O C S T L A M E L G ALL SIN ON SALE! SAME GREAT OWNERS! YOUR ONE-STOP SHOP! THE BEST PRICES AT BOTH LOCATIONS! Navy School Satula Ave.

H

J’s Bottle Shop/ Sam’s Texaco

1452 Prince Ave Normaltown, Athens 706 353 8881

Atlanta Hwy. Alps Rd.

Prince Ave.

30 PACK

H Hobby Lobby

Cheer’s Package/ Sam’s Chevron 2545 Atlanta Hwy 706 354 8707