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Best Coast Sweet Pop Proves That Life’s a Beach p. 17

Denson’s First Agenda Meeting p. 4 · Fuddy Meers p. 11 · Yuck p. 15 · Daikaiju p. 21 · Fat Shadow p. 22

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pub notes Damned If You Do Rosemarie Goodrum is pissed. So are many of her friends and neighbors who opposed the Chi Phi fraternity’s plans to build a new chapter house at the corner of Milledge Avenue and Rutherford Street. They also feel betrayed by the two ACC commissioners who represent their area: Kathy Hoard and Mike Hamby. These neighbors feel that their commissioners, instead of representing their interests, worked to get the fraternity’s plans approved.

Rosemarie and her family, friends and neighbors showed up in force to express their opposition when the issue of the fraternity house came up for the final vote at the Dec. 7 meeting of the mayor and commission. These are people who have fought for their neighborhood and others over the years: they know how the system works. They’re intelligent, sophisticated and experienced neighborhood activists, and over the years they have had good results in protecting their livable, walkable neighborhood precariously perched between Milledge, Lumpkin and Baxter, in spite of the fraternization of Bloomfield into an alley of flagrant disregard for the two-unrelated-persons-perhousehold limit.

At the Dec. 7 meeting the neighbors once again spoke eloquently of their concerns about noise, traffic, parking and the general inappropriateness of shoehorning Animal House onto the corner of their neighborhood. When they finished their protestations, they listened in extreme dismay as the commission voted unanimously to allow the Chi Phi fraternity to go ahead with its plans. Over a month later, they’re still steaming, and they still feel betrayed, especially by Hoard and Hamby.

If these experienced neighborhood players can come up with a goose egg after a couple of years of negotiations, can aver…shoehorning age citizens ever expect to Animal House onto resist developers’ encroachments into their neighborhoods? the corner of their It is small comfort to the neighbors that the Chi Phi neighborhood. house is the first to come before the commission since that body voted to require all fraternities and sororities to apply for a special use permit when they want to relocate. The special use permit grants the commission a great deal of control over what the Greek organizations can build, but given the zoning, the commission would still have to prove that a Greek house would be more disruptive than other uses allowed on the property.

Hamby and Hoard say that the planning director and the county attorney told them that would be a very difficult task, and that a more fruitful approach would be to negotiate ameliorative concessions from the fraternity in regard to the size of the house and therefore the number of occupants, parking, noise, the preservation of the historic house presently on the property and other impacts.

Hoard, backed up by Hamby, spent countless hours in meetings with the fraternity, the developer and the neighbors. In a nutshell, she says that given the zoning in the area, there was a slim chance of keeping the fraternity out. Moreover, even if the fraternity were kept out, the property could be subdivided into six commercial lots holding six different businesses generating their own traffic, noise, lighting and parking impacts.

The neighbors say they would rather have taken their chances with whatever businesses came along than with the Chi Phis and their record of obstreperous behavior above and beyond the usual Greek hijinks.

Hamby and Hoard remain convinced that they got the best deal they could for the neighborhood. The neighborhood thinks their commissioners sold them out, and some of Kathy Hoard’s neighbors are no longer her friends.

The special use requirement for fraternities and sororities came about as a response to the Greek diaspora caused by the university’s land grab along Lumpkin Street, casting Hoard and Hamby as reluctant pioneers negotiating a settlement between warring factions. There don’t seem to be any lessons to be learned from all this. Hoard and Hamby could have played it safe and sided with the neighborhood, but they feel that had they taken that approach it would have resulted in an even worse deal for the neighbors. What we may have here is the kind of political courage that we all demand but never expect to get, and maybe we can see, too, why we don’t.

Pete McCommons editor@flagpole.com

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

Nancy Denson’s first agenda meeting as mayor was a lively one.

Athens Rising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 What’s Up in New Development

What’s been happening while we’ve all been talking about the Classic Center.

Arts & Events Grub Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Grill, Baby, Grill

Hibachi Grill Supreme Buffet offers a wide variety of choices, yet is inexpensive and family-friendly.

Theatre Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Crawlspaces and Dark Places

The New Year brings new performances to the area!

COVER DESIGN by Kelly Ruberto featuring artwork by a student of Kate Windley on display at ACC public library

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Music Best Coast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Heart and Soul

Breaking waves, breakups and sweet, surfy pop.

Upstart Roundup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Introducing Athens’ Newest Talent

This week: Feral Youth, Liars & Lovers, Big Hug Little Kiss and Nerf Sword.

CITY DOPE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 CITY PAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 CAPITOL IMPACT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 ATHENS RISING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 BEHIND THE RAIL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 TOWNIECONOMY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 GRUB NOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 THEATRE NOTES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 MOVIE DOPE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 MOVIE PICK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 FILM NOTEBOOK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

THREATS & PROMISES. . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 YUCK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 BEST COAST. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 UPSTART ROUNDUP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 THE CALENDAR!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 BULLETIN BOARD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 ART AROUND TOWN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 COMICS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 REALITY CHECK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 WINE WEEKEND. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 EVERYDAY PEOPLE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

11

This week at Flagpole.COM

18

 Ort tells how he survived the recent snowstorm.     

Remember it?

Stay current on Athens news/opinions with Beyond the Trestle @ Flagpole Post local events with our Calendar submission form Not sure why your love-life has ground to a halt? Get a Reality Check from Jyl Inov Contact Us! Submit your original, non-published writing or story ideas to editor@flagpole.com Homedrone: new post on NRBQ keyboardist Terry Allen

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 Nico Cashin AD DESIGNER Kelly Ruberto CARTOONISTS James Allen, Cameron Bogue, Jacob Hunt, Missy Kulik, David Mack, Matthew Ziemer ADOPT ME Special Agent Cindy Jerrell CONTRIBUTORS Hillary Brown, Tom Crawford, André Gallant, Jennifer Gibson, Anna Ferguson Hall, John Huie, Gordon Lamb, Patrick McGinn, Matthew Pulver, Ed Robinson, Rick Rose, Mark Sanders, Jeff Tobias, Drew Wheeler, Kevan Williams, Marshall Yarbrough CIRCULATION Charles Greenleaf, Nash Hogan, Jesse Mangum, Matt Shirley WEB DESIGNER Kelly Ruberto ADVERTISING & EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Jessica Smith ADVERTISING INTERNS Caroline Harris, Sarah Zagorski MUSIC INTERN Sydney Slotkin

VOLUME 25 ISSUE NUMBER 3

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JANUARY 26, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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city dope Athens News and Views No, Thanks: The Athens Banner-Herald’s Jim expansion—as well as protocols for public Thompson hasn’t had much to contribute to input on the project—which should jump-start the discussion about the Classic Center expanwhat will hopefully be an open and productive sion, but last Sunday, he weighed in with design process. Also on the February agenda a rather backhanded offer. His very snide is funding for the conversion of the county “invitation” for those interested in producing recycling facility to single-stream processa design for the expansion that helps, rather ing, which has been in the works for some than harms, prospects for future good develtime and appears on track to be complete opment on the eastern edge of downtown to by fall of this year. On the planning side of submit their ideas to him occupied a similar things, there are fairly routine rezoning and amount of column space to another useful special use requests for two exciting projects: and, by the way, “non-prurient” invitation: for a four-story cancer care center on Jefferson readers to share their accounts of how much Road and a 20-acre youth athletic complex time they spent during the aftermath of the being built on Commerce Road by Falcons recent snowstorm, you know… doing it. cornerback and Clarke Central H.S. graduate For this city’s only daily newspaper to Dunta Robinson. Then there’s the rezoning decline to help with the effort to have a posiof 1,388 properties within the Sandy Creek tive influence on a basin to reflect the major civic planning removal of a planned decision (which, incisewer line from the dentally, will affect county’s public utilian area to which that ties service delivery paper’s own hulking, plan. Nothing beats a pretentious buildrunning start! ing has already done more than its fair Calendar Notes: The share of damage) is mayor and commisone thing. But for sion will have a joint Jim to call those who meeting with the do want to help dilet- All that painstaking, time-consuming sorting of recyAthens Economic tantes and to suggest cling will soon be a thing of the past: ACC is convertDevelopment ing to single-stream. that they’re a bunch Foundation Thursday, of lazy, overpriviJan. 27 at the leged drunks is just mystifying. If the people Dougherty Street Governmental Building to who have been working for these past furious discuss Project Blue Heron, a proposal for weeks meeting with commissioners, staff and public and private development of a whole citizens, drafting proposals for public input bunch of property between the North Oconee processes, and, yes, producing alternative River and downtown that you may have heard plans were to stop what they’re doing right a thing or two about… And if you’re reading now and head for the bars, they would still this early enough, you might want to stop by have had more positive impact on this project the Georgia Center for Continuing Education than Jim has, sitting behind his Editor’s Desk for the UGA/ Georgia Sea Grant Oil Spill throwing rocks.

Symposium, which will feature panel and roundtable discussions with media representaAnd They’re Off: Nancy Denson’s first agenda tives and experts involved in last year’s BP oil as mayor (and Jared Bailey’s first as District 5 spill and response, including UGA professor of commissioner) is packed with items of intermarine sciences Samantha Joye. You can learn est. The M&C will vote Feb. 1 on the awarding more at www.oilspill.uga.edu. of an architecture and engineering contract for the Classic Center Dave Marr news@flagpole.com

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If you stay hip to U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, Jr.’s Twitter page you know that, before commencing the 112th Congress, Broun went to something Republicans called “Congress of Tomorrow.” The Krazy Korner’s Washington bureau reports that it was a Disney World-style ride that took eager members of Congress on a magical journey to the future of legislating. After snaking through a winding waiting line, members were strapped singly into cars which disappeared into a tunnel and began an ascent. Next stop: the future! A handsome voice began the narrative: “In the Congress of Tomorrow, legislators will be called legislasers, because of all the lasers…” Just before the wash of synths drowned them out, members further ahead could be heard issuing what sounded like the “oohs” and “aahs” of children in wonder.

But at the ride’s end many congressional Republicans emerged with looks of horror and disgust: the future was progressive. For one, the Congress of Tomorrow was about half female, representative of the wider population. Gone was the body composed predominantly of wealthy, white (usually old as dirt) men. And the legislation!

The laws that were passed! Alas, Broun’s offering of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage was a distant memory, and the LGBT community could marry freely and serve their country in the armed services openly and proudly. Those armed forces were not engaged in imperial adventures on every continent. Hispanic immigrants, both documented and otherwise, did not serve as scapegoats for economic ills. And the unprecedented income inequality of 2011 had been leveled to a more sane and rational degree of disparity. The future was a nightmare. [Matthew Pulver]

city pages willingness to slow the process down. The schedule “is not set in stone,” Mayor Nancy Denson said.

No citizens spoke at last week’s meeting, but dozens did submit written comments at a Jan. 6 information session on the Classic Center expansion plans. Many citizens critiACC commissioners don’t want to end up cized that meeting’s “drop-in” format (which with “a white elephant” when the Classic did not allow people to hear each others’ Center expands, said Commissioner George questions, or the answers) and many quesMaxwell at the mayor and commission’s Jan. tioned the closing of Hancock Avenue (some 20 agenda-setting session—but what do they supported it). want? Something that will “fit into the fabric “The addition of a monolithic, super box on of downtown,” said Kelly Girtz. “Something Hancock,” wrote Peter Norris, “will physically that the public can embrace, at the end of and visually relegate the southeastern segthe day,” said Alice Kinman. Something fitment of downtown to an industrial no-man’s ting a “holistic approach to the expansion land. It will discourage any human activity of downtown,” Kathy Hoard said. But no one from Thomas to North Avenue.” No dates have offered specifics at last week’s agenda-setting yet been set for future public meetings on the meeting. project.

When they vote on Feb. 1 to hire an archiAlso moving forward, as evidenced by the tect for the Center’s expanded exhibit hall, “gigantic crane” beside the Georgia Theatre they will likely ask for noted by Kinman: the two different designs: new 540-space down“We need to get input one that (as originally town parking deck that planned) closes a block will include street-front from people that know of Hancock Avenue and retail spaces. Revenue another that doesn’t. and expense projections Athens-Clarke County, Twelve architects have show the long-planned love Athens-Clarke County, deck, pushed by downapplied for the job.

Commissioners also town merchants and love downtown…” want public involvement funded by sales taxes, to be a part of the planparking fees and a partning process, they said, and they are willing nership with a private developer, will need to to slow down the process if need be. “We need charge $2.50 per hour by 2013 to cover its to get input from people that know Athenscosts (which include borrowing $6 million over Clarke County, love Athens-Clarke County, love 15 years, plus $2 million in interest). That downtown—to sit in on our meetings and concerned new District 5 Commissioner Jared have some input,” said Maxwell. A “workshop Bailey: “I wonder if anyone’s going to want to or charrette process” involving the public park in the deck” when metered parking costs might be held, Girtz said. only 50 cents an hour. The deck will also rent To keep the construction on schedule, monthly spaces. commissioners need to approve a “concept And having cancelled plans to build a plan” in April, county manager Alan Reddish sewer line along Sandy Creek to serve future said. But given the controversy over closdevelopment north of Athens, commissioning Hancock and the potential impact of the ers must now rezone some 1,300 lots—which Classic Center on downtown’s future, Kinman they will do in one swoop at their Feb. 1 and other commissioners emphasized their voting meeting—to reflect the fact that

CC Expansion Design Contract Placed on February M&C Agenda

Senior Leadership Academy

The Senior Leadership Academy is a community awareness program designed to develop informed, motivated and committed retired and semi-retired persons in the greater Athens area.

The course sessions are scheduled for 8 consecutive Course Topics Include: Thursdays beginning on • Business February 3, 2011 and ending March 24, 2011.

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Cost includes catered lunches, supplies and some transportation.

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ATHENS COMMUNITY COUNCIL ON AGING

Live well. Age well.

future homes in that area will have to rely on septic tanks. That’s not unusual—many rural homes have septic tanks—but in recent years, they have been allowed only on lots large enough to accommodate a second tank in case the first one should ever fail. And that means that many lots between Commerce and Danielsville roads, since they may never be served by sewer, are now too small to build on under their present zoning. Lots originally zoned for duplexes—and some land zoned for apartments—will now be rezoned for singlefamily homes. That could reduce the value of those lots, but “I don’t think there’s going to be any radical change in value,” county attorney Bill Berryman told commissioners. It certainly won’t make them worthless, he said, and that’s the legal standard that would bring lawsuits.

Affected landowners have been notified of the rezonings by letter, and a public meeting has been held. There’s been no outcry from property owners, ACC Planning Director Brad Griffin says; the response so far has been “very limited.” Many of the lots already have homes on them, making their rezoning merely a technical matter. Commercial development along Danielsville Road may be slowed, he said, since businesses generally prefer to be on sewer.

Commissioners nixed the sewer line, formerly scheduled to be built in 2023, to discourage “sprawl” development in the rural “greenbelt” and to protect the purity of Sandy Creek, which supplies some of Athens’ drinking water.

John Huie

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Athens Jewish Film FestivAl 2011 Bridging Cultures through Film and Discussion

FeBruAry 19-23, 2011 Ciné Arthaus 234 West Hancock Ave. • Athens, GA

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Proceeds benefit AthFest, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to music and arts education.

6

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 26, 2011

capitol impact 17,000 Reasons for a New Ethics Law When House Speaker David Ralston drafted a bill last session to revise the state’s ethics laws, he refused to include what many reformers thought was the most important provision: a limit on the amount of money lobbyists could spend on legislators. Ralston said that requiring public disclosure of what lobbyists spent, no matter how much, was sufficient.

“I trust the people of this state to make those judgments [on whether it’s appropriate for a legislator to accept gifts],” he said at the time. “I’m comfortable with letting the people make the determination. They know what to do.”

A disclosure report filed last week with the State Campaign Finance Commission provides a hint as to why Ralston did not want to put those limits on lobbyists. A lobbyist for Virginiabased Commonwealth Research Associates disclosed that he spent $17,682 on an expensespaid trip to Europe for Ralston, his family, his chief aide, and his aide’s wife during Thanksgiving week. Commonwealth is a consulting firm with an interest in seeing a highspeed rail line built between Atlanta and Chattanooga, a project that has been discussed for years but still lacks funding from the state.

Ironically, reports of Ralston’s junket hit the media just two days after a coalition of watchdog groups, the Georgia Alliance for Ethics Reform, called for the passage of legislation to make additional revisions to the state’s ethics laws, including a gift ban.

Bob Irvin, the former head of Common Cause Georgia, said that mere disclosure of lobbyist spending, as Ralston insisted upon, was not enough to curb a culture of corruption.

“We don’t say, ‘it’s OK to murder someone as long as you disclose it,’” Irvin said. “Gifts from lobbyists should be limited to $100.”

The problem isn’t that David Ralston is an unethical person. I have found him to be

straightforward and honest in his public dealings, and he has worked hard to clean up the image of the Georgia House of Representatives after the excesses of the former Speaker of the House.

The same goes for Rep. Joe Wilkinson (R-Sandy Springs), the chairman of the House Ethics Committee, and Sen. John Crosby (R-Tifton), who chairs the Senate Ethics Committee. I consider them to be decent, honorable legislators who want to do the right thing when it comes to enforcing ethics requirements.

Even so, when a lobbyist spends $17,000 to wine and dine a public official, it is always going to raise troubling questions about that official’s ability to act in the best interests of the people he represents. Would a legislator be more willing to vote for a bill favored by that lobbyist even if it might cause a financial hardship for his constituents?

There is a similar issue here that involves conflicts of interest. The Senate leadership recently appointed Sen. Renee Unterman (R-Buford) to chair the Health and Human Services Committee. Unterman is an executive with Amerigroup, which contracts with Georgia to administer healthcare services for Medicaid recipients. In the last fiscal year, the state paid Amerigroup nearly $600 million for its services.

Legislators are human beings with the same weaknesses as all of us. If we could revamp our ethics laws to put some limits on lobbyist gifts and minimize conflicts of interest, we might remove some of the temptations that result in questionable behavior by elected officials.

Tom Crawford tcrawford@gareport.com Tom Crawford is the editor of The Georgia Report, an Internet news service at gareport.com that covers government and politics in Georgia.

athens rising

OUR BIGGEST SALE EVER!

What’s Up in New Development With so much focus on downtown and the Classic Center over the past several weeks, a few interesting projects have gotten lost in the shuffle. This week we’ll catch up on the last bits of news from 2010.

Airport: The Ben Epps Airport commercial terminal could be scaled back again, initially from a new complex on Lexington Highway to a new (and rather ugly) building on Winterville Road, and now to a renovation of the current facility. While the airport is an important economic development tool, that move could free up a good bit of funding for projects with a higher rate of return. As long as the funds go to another SPLOST 2005 project, there’s a fair bit of room to maneuver.

KEVAN WILLIAMS

sewer line to Sandy Creek, the primary source of drinking water for the county, prompted the changes.

Unfortunately, our zoning code is a rather blunt instrument, and while this rezoning is an excellent move to protect our most essential natural resource, we haven’t yet explored the more nuanced tools that might be appropriate for conservation issues like these. In the case of Sandy Creek, perhaps we should be considering the manner in which we build just as carefully as how much we build. Greenway overlays and other tools that mandate higher on-site stormwater standards might make sense.

It also might be worth looking at Oak Grove’s major intrusion into the county’s greenbelt of low density; is this a push in the other direction, of greenbelt into the city? If so, is it worth reevaluating the goals of that greenbelt to acknowledge other factors, like riparian corridors, rather than simply what is farthest out?

West Broad: Although West Broad Street has been the target of large-scale building Small-scale retail has slowly emerged along West Broad. Will large-scale new proposals before (most construction contribute to or detract from a “Main Street”-style gateway into recently for a pair of downtown? condo towers backing up to the Dearing If we wanted to keep a focus on transporStreet neighborhood), these have all gone tation, the Greenway and business corridor unbuilt so far, with small-scale renovations improvement projects make good candiand grassroots projects—like two community dates; improving access from downtown to gardens—ruling the area’s growth so far. Now, the Multimodal Transit Center and the river there’s a proposal for a four-story apartment via new public spaces or streets could be building at the corner of Finley and Broad. worthwhile. Commuter rail to Atlanta via the “At the corner” isn’t exactly accurate, MMTC is a much more viable connection to the though, with the building at mid-block and outside world than air travel, and improving a large surface parking lot spanning from its the functionality and connectivity around it edge to Finley, according to preliminary plans. are a better way to focus on bringing people Although this project has the potential to be to Athens. In the same vein, there are also a stepping stone to greater redevelopment Classic Center projects on the SPLOST 2005 on West Broad, a key artery into downtown, list; sending the money in that direction and it’s got a long way to go in terms of fostering combining it with the SPLOST 2011 project street life. More than half the site, as planned, budget could give us the extra money to get is devoted to parking, and if that’s how every that project right, accomplishing the Classic future project along the corridor unfolds, it’ll Center’s convention space goals while retainnever have a walkable, “Main Street” feel. ing the downtown fabric so necessary for On-street parking ought to be not just lasting economic development. encouraged, but mandated for developments That’s not to say that we should abandon such as these. Further, residential parking our dreams of more comprehensive air travel requirements desperately need to be re-calito and from Athens. At the moment, the marbrated to manage these types of projects. If ket just isn’t there, and renovating the current this is the standard result, we’re not close to terminal is a good compromise that will allow getting the right sort of future development. us to retain what we have, with the possibility If anything, the recent dustup over on-street of revisiting the idea of a larger terminal a few parking in Five Points signals a need for a years down the road. Building a new terminal more comprehensive approach to managing on the site of the old would not allow that neighborhood commercial districts’ needs. flexibility.

Lineup Changes: While recent transplant Dan Sandy Creek: On Feb. 1, the mayor and comLorentz has just departed for England, native mission are planning to vote on the rezoning Athenian Katie Goodrum is back from the of 1400 parcels in the Sandy Creek basin to University of Pennsylvania (via the prestigious only allow lots of 25,000 square feet or more, Prince’s Foundation in London) with a masthe minimum necessary for septic tanks. After ter’s in urban planning and plenty of global removing a proposed sewer line along the examples and expertise to share with us. She’ll creek from the county’s service delivery plan, be the new Athens Rising co-anchor, so look the current denser zoning no longer matched for her first column next week. what was actually buildable in the area.

Concerns about the negative impacts from the Kevan Williams athensrising@flagpole.com

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 26, 2011

Once upon a time, there was a company called Hanna Manufacturing. Founded in 1911, Hanna was the leading maker of specialty baseball bats used by players such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby and Jackie Robinson. The Hanna manufacturing plant was located across the tracks and down the hill from Foundry Street. Once upon a time, Athens had a larger downtown.

In the 1970s, Athens changed and downtown shrank. Hanna shut down in 1976. Urban Renewal destroyed the northeast section of the street grid along Dougherty and Strong streets. The old warehouses in that area were abandoned and became places where bands played and artists worked. Eventually, the Athens music scene grew and the character of downtown changed. Restaurants and services catering to students and visitors revitalized downtown. Community leaders created the Classic Center, which strengthened the burgeoning hospitality economy. Small businesses moved in and loft apartments were built. Downtown became a vibrant economic engine, the envy of other mid-sized cities in the Southeast.

Because of the hard work of many committed Athenians, downtown is ready to grow.

Urban zoning areas have been expanded to guide development. ACC has committed millions of dollars to complete the North Oconee Greenway and the Firefly trailhead and to start on the Dudley Park master plan. The Athens Downtown Development Authority and the Economic Development Foundation are respectively working on a downtown master plan and a river district project. And the old Armstrong and Dobbs property is for sale, offering a spectacular development opportunity.

The success of downtown has been paralleled by that of our Classic Center. Its need to grow and its value to Athens are recognized by everyone on the commission. The conceptual design for its expansion that is being rushed through, however, threatens the growth of the downtown the Classic Center is supposed to enhance. The main concern is not so much Hancock Avenue, but limited access to the river from the rest of downtown. Strong and Dougherty are the only streets on the north side of downtown that can extend the street grid to the river. These two streets are already compromised by poor Urban Renewal decisions made in the ‘60s and ‘70s. A poor design of the expansion could further isolate these roads and ensure that this side of downtown will never grows.

The present conceptual design driving public discussion, a set of drawings created

without public input, will cause this isolation.

The hard and landscaped parking at the ends of Dougherty and Strong clearly delineate an end to these streets and a termination of the street grid. This and many other aspects of the concept show a lack of understanding of the needs of downtown as a whole. We need this understanding before we start with a design concept.

To achieve a successful outcome, we need to fully involve the community so all the parties concerned about downtown’s growth can define their needs. Processes of this magnitude normally begin with open citizens meetings involving the primary stakeholders, such as the ADDA, the EDF and the Classic Center Authority, to define everyone’s needs and goals. From this, a rough conceptual plan can be drawn that will guide further discussion and design. We need this discussion to occur before we can really begin designing and planning for an expansion.

Despite the protests of significant portions of our community, however, the item on our agenda next week sticks to a schedule of completing the architectural design by June and breaking ground in August. Forums have been added for citizen input in February, along with a vague promise to slow things down if necessary. But by starting out with this time frame, we are abandoning our long-held practice of starting projects like this with working groups to ensure adequate citizen involvement and communication among stakeholders.

The vote on hiring an architect and installing a public input structure for the design process is coming up Feb. 1. It is imperative that the mayor and commissioners know how important it is that our new administration maintain the level of citizen participation we have come to expect over the past eight years.

Our new mayor, Nancy Denson, is new to her office and unused to the normal processes of community involvement in projects this large.

Contact her and your commissioners and let them know you expect them to maintain the standards for community involvement we have come to expect for Athens. Then show up at City Hall Tuesday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. to make sure they know you really care about downtown Athens.

The future of Athens for the next 100 years is being made at this moment. Make sure to bat right.

Ed Robinson Ed Robinson represents District 6 on the AthensClarke County Commission.

townieconomy A Sunnier Forecast for 2011? recently laid-off workers looking at generating new forms of income (there were also plenty of applicants not quite financially fit for ACE’s programs), Penny says existing business growth is the real trend she’s witnessing.

Businesses are optimistic—a bit bolder, Penny says, and they’re tapping ACE’s flexible collateral requirements to help hire more employees. ACE loans produced 345 new jobs last year, and as the demand for expanding capital increases this year, as Penny predicts, expect to see further growth.

solar in Sandersville than in Athens.” Bowen’s crew has installed a number of solar power systems around town, including at Firehall 4 Animal Hospital and a smattering of personal homes. But apart from a recent solar water heater they set up in Watkinsville, Bowen says it feels like “months and months” since they’ve attached a photovoltaic cell onto an Athens-area roof. Turnsol keeps busy installing and sub-contracting around Atlanta, Gainesville and South Georgia. Bowen can’t quite explain why Athens, as a progressive community, has been slow to catch on to solar, especially given the tax benefits.

Perhaps the initial investment, which can be substantial, scares some potential clients. Let’s hope it’s not historic preservation guidelines—there’s nothing more historic than intact mountaintops. Adds Bowen: “Even Republicans are seeing the benefits.”

Solar Eclipse?: Penny also touts ACE’s work with Georgia Green Loans, a financial service aimed at promoting eco-friendly small businesses. ACE made two loans last year to SolarFlex Technologies, LLC, a Watkinsvillebased solar installer that cuts a renewable energy swath across the Southeast.

But the solar craze is a slow burn in Clarke County, according to SolarFlex owner Bill Snapp. The company specializes in commercial and governmental installations; Athens-area businesses are very aware of his product’s ben-

André Gallant

January’s winter storms sure tamped down a peppy start to 2011. Last year felt slack as far as business growth was concerned, capped off by the annual scuttling of downtown bars and restaurants. As we battle grey clouds for glints of sunshine, it may not be easy to feel hopeful about the New Year, and this column won’t cure seasonal recession or depression, especially not this week. But as the snow finally thaws, let’s take a look at potential— some possibilities for start-up small business in Athens.

When talking to young, would-be entrepreneurs, I often find that a knowledge gap about the resources available to startups can be daunting to people with ideas.

Banks appear to be the only financing available to them; they’ve never heard of the Small Business Administration, much less the micro-lending movement. The county has funds on tap? No way!

There are, in fact, multiple sources for small business financing available, and with the aid of federal recovery funds, those loans have eco-friendly components designed to help prod the green economy into action. And it appears, in some cases, to be taking root.

But as micro loans and green loans clutch for success and popularity in the area, at least one of the industries they’re trying to stimulate just isn’t grabbing hold in Clarke County.

rent space instead of owning it, and such improvements require cajoling landlords to up the green ante. Sure, business owners can make the improvements out-of-pocket, but as some local businesses are as quick to close as they are to open, that decision demands a long night of budget inspecting and noggin scratching.

Growth Freeze Melting?: Throughout 2010, Georgia’s small businesses treaded Patonia Lumpkin drew on ACC’s Green Business Revolving Loan Fund to grow her Oglethorpe Avenue daycare center, imcautiously when extending themselves proving the building’s energy efficiency and expanding her teaching staff in the process. debt-wise, according to Liz Penny, the community outreach director for Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs (ACE), a Cleveland, Penny hopes green trends will catch on and efits, but there’s “very low solar penetration” GA-based nonprofit with accounts in Clarke that businesses will consider energy saving an here, Snapp says; no one is ready to “pull County. But the “wait and see” attitude that integral part of a smart business model. With the trigger.” Snapp works where the market froze start-up and existing business investlong-term cost savings in mind, ACE created calls, and lately that means Parris Island, SC, ment showed signs of a thaw as the year its Save and Sustain program to target the home of the famous Marine Corps boot camp. closed out, she says. ACE, a micro-lender of physical structures of Georgia businesses. By New military construction requires renewable sorts that gears its loans towards low-income, making even small, $1,000 investments like energy components, so SolarFlex has been minority and green-industry operations, fixing windows and doors to improve heating busy across the state line. But Snapp would rounded out 2010 with $1.2 million in loans, and cooling costs, Penny says business ownprefer to work closer to home and hopes ranging from $500 to $50,000, to 68 busiers can expect up to 35 percent reductions in potential customers realize that solar isn’t nesses. In Clarke County and just a bit outside their power bills. just good for the planet, but also good for of it, those clients included a coffeeshop, a Evidence of the benefits of such renovabusiness: “The market is here, but the clients caterer, an upholsterer, a telemarketer and a tions is mounting, and ACE’s low interest aren’t.” solar technology installer. rates are tantalizing. But making the case And so it goes for residential solar, says While new ventures made up 34 percent of for Save and Sustain loans might prove difDrew Bowen, owner of Turnsol Energy, an ACE’s lending, including loans to a number of ficult in Clarke County, where businesses often Athens-based solar contractor: “There’s more

Keep It Local: The ACC government offers its own Green Business loan program, which expands the concept of “green” a bit to include local, carbon footprintfriendly supply chains while still helping businesses rehab leaky buildings and hook up solar water heaters. The program loaned out $35,000 to three businesses and produced seven new jobs in 2010.

One start-up that stood out to Teri Evans, ACC’s community economic development coordinator, as exemplifying a local supply chain, was a Christian bookstore that supplied area congregations with locally made goods: whether for robes, prayer benches or stained glass, the bookstore will source demand to local craftspeople instead of national manufacturers.

Evans says there’s “a lot of interest” in the county’s green loans budding in early 2011, due mostly to their “working asset” feature. Clients aren’t forced to spend their loans on fixed assets—something physical, like a piece of equipment—but can instead use them for marketing or salary, just as long as the business satisfies certain green standards.

Specialized trades like Bowen’s and Snapp’s aren’t expected to explode this year, especially around our supposedly recession-proof metropolitan statistical area, but Penny’s trend predictions are backed up, somewhat, by U.S. Department of Labor job forecasts for 2010– 11. DOL short-term reports show a growth in self-employment and food service jobs, which bears out Penny’s observations of the recently unemployed transforming into entrepreneurs.

It may not be the multi-million dollar, hundred job-producing growth many of us want for Athens, but it’s a start.

André Gallant townieconomy@flagpole.com

JANUARY 26, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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Grill, Baby, Grill Quantity: I know my last column somewhat seemed to be favoring quality over quantity, but sometimes quantity is really what you’re in the market for, especially if you have a big appetite or a large family to feed. If you really miss the UGA meal plan, for example, and would feel weird returning to campus to gorge on all-you-can-eat soft-serve and omelets, Hibachi Grill Supreme Buffet (2050 Barnett Shoals Rd.), in the former Ryan’s on the Eastside, is your ticket.

The interior has been glammed up with the kind of decor an 11-year-old girl would find irresistible, all sparkly chandeliers, neon signs and water features, with a giant fake palm tree of rope lights in one corner. And, man, is it ever busy. The food is, as you might expect, not exactly spectacular, and at $6.99 per adult on weekdays, it would be shocking if it were uniformly delicious.

Avoid, for example, the mushy, flavorless, peel-and-eat shrimp on the cold buffet. I didn’t try the prime rib and other American hot dishes that occupy one of the many buffets, but they certainly didn’t encourage me to. On the other hand, Americanized Chinese specialties such as seafood delight are plenty fine, and yakitori-style chicken on a stick is actually pretty good. The fried stuff, as usual, suffers from its time sitting under heat lamps, although a tray of pigs in blankets survives decently. I can’t say that I’d recommend the sushi, but there is a lot of it, along the back wall at the right.

Unfortunately, no matter what the description reads, every roll tastes the same: not awful, but rather mayonnaisey, perhaps a small step up from Kroger.

One of the highlights is …yakitori-style the hibachi buffet to the left chicken on a stick… of the sushi, where you can choose raw proteins (beef, chicken, shrimp, pork, egg) and vegetables (mushrooms, cabbage, broccoli, onions, jalapenos and more) in whatever quantities you desire. Hand your bowl of meats and plate of veggies to the guys behind the grill and they’ll sear, toss and sauce it up for you. Not only are the meats not half-bad in quality, the fact that you can mix and match makes it more appealing than your standard hibachi place, where you get one meat and a smattering of vegetables over a heap of rice for the same price or more; plus it’s undeniably freshly prepared and entertaining for the kids. An array of ice creams and brightly colored Jell-O mean your munchkins will be bouncing off the walls post-dinner, but it still seems like a great place to go with picky eaters.

The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner every day.

Quality: Other times, it’s the quality of the people in charge, rather than that of the food, that might keep you coming back to a place. Dawg Gone Good BBQ (224 W. Hancock Ave.) is tiny but warm, both in literal temperature and friendliness.

B.J. Hardy, of the eponymous hair salon, cooks up the BBQ and is mighty free with the samples, laying out a taste of each offering on a paper hot dog bun holder so you can choose more accurately. He used to run the late-night business out of Wilson’s, which there was good buzz about on the street, but his BBQ unfortunately tastes oven-cooked. Most of the smoke flavor seems to be from the sauce, and it ends up fairly wet. I’d go back for the ribs, though, which are tender but not mushy, not drowned in sauce and have pretty good flavor.

Dawg Gone Good also does Polish sausage, which is darn hard to screw up and to resist. Sides vary depending on the day but may include spinach supreme, a sort of creamed spinach casserole with chunks of potato mixed in; a peppery and cheesy macaroni and cheese; and unremarkable baked beans. Is it great? It is not, but Hardy and his able-bodied assistant supply amiable conversation, and the service is fast. The restaurant is open from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., Thursdays and 5 p.m. to 3 a.m., Fridays and Saturdays. It only takes cash at the moment but is planning to have credit card capacity at some point.

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 26, 2011

What Up?: If you haven’t been reading the blog, here’s the haps. The Georgia Bar, The Roadhouse, El Centro, Reds, the Daily Neighborhood Deli, the European Deli, Cotton Club and McAlister’s Deli are closed. Grilled Teriyaki Hibachi and Sushi is open on Broad near Taco Stand, Yummy Bites on East Clayton next to where the Bluebird was and Kabana on Tallassee Road (American, Indian and Jamaican food) replaced Los Comales.

Hillary Brown food@flagpole.com

theatre notes Crawlspaces and Dark Places The New Year brings new performances to the area! Here are reminders of productions this month and next: Rose of Athens offers No Shame Theatre at Hendershot’s Coffeehouse every Tuesday evening and Frankenstein Lives! continues on tour until March 2011. Auditions for RoA’s Alice in Wonderland and its summer production, As You Like It, will be held in the Seney-Stovall Chapel on Feb. 2. For more info, see www. roseofathens.org.

at the Quinn Theatre at Memorial Park. Each of Guyton’s three one-acts, Attic, Basement and Crawlspace, takes place in a different room in a disturbed young man’s house. The Darker Places Trilogy is Guyton’s seventh production in Athens, including Where’s Julie? and The Mother of God Visits Hell with Town and Gown Players, and Georgie Gets a Facelift, Milo & Barbara, I’m Not Gay! and Attic at UGA. In an email communication with Guyton, he described his growth as a playwright, his connection to Athens and how these plays The UGA Deptartment of Theatre and became very personal expressions of his strugFilm Studies presents the comedy Fuddy gles after 9/11. Growing up in Long Island, Meers, by David Lindsay-Abaire, Jan. 27–29, NY, he had been writing short stories, poetry Feb. 2–5. Lindsay-Abaire also wrote Shrek the and even comic strips since elementary school Musical and screenplays for Inkheart, Spiderand continued writing through his undergraduMan 4, Rabbit Hole and Kimberly Akimbo. The ate years at SUNY Albany, where he was heavily involved in theatre. He didn’t combine his love of writing with theatre until his junior year, when a friend convinced him to write a play with him called Got Change for a Two? “It was a lot of fun and got some great audience response from my peers, so I wrote another play soon after, and then another and another,” Guyton said.

In his senior year, he wrote Where’s Julie?, which won the Kennedy Center/ American College Theatre Festival Award for playwriting. He came to Athens in August, 2001 for an MFA in Dramatic Writing a month before the tragedy of 9/11.

The terrible event so near to his hometown hit him particularly hard.

“But the more I wrote, the more I realized I was actually OK,” he said.

“The writing for me was therapy.

However, I began to wonder what would happen if I wasn’t a writer.

If I didn’t have that outlet, and if I The UGA production of Fuddy Meers is at the UGA Fine Arts couldn’t cultivate good friendships Theatre Jan. 27 through Feb. 6. and family to get me out of it. And that’s how the character of William Studio Series continues with the Pulitzer-Prize began to form. He is the darkness I feared I winning play Ruined, by Lynn Nottage, Feb. might become.”

15–20, and concludes with Aunt Dan and Attic won him his second Kennedy Center/ Lemon, by Wallace Shawn, better known to ACTF award in 2004, but its short length and many as the bald, lisping little man in The dark undertones proved a deterrent to many Princess Bride and Clueless, Mar. 29–31, Apr. theatres. This year, Joelle Re Arp Dunham, 1–3. See www.drama.uga.edu for more info. co-founder of Circle Ensemble Theatre, (who had directed the first staged reading of Attic) Athens Creative Theatre presents LIVE contacted Guyton about producing Attic and ART: Sweethearts of the Stage, Feb.12, 13 asked if there were companion pieces to go & 18–20. See www.athenscreativetheatre.com with it. He wrote Basement as a sequel and for more info. Athens Little Playhouse brings then Crawlspace as a “sort of prequel” which Rapunzel, Feb. 25–27, Mar. 4–6. Athens combine as the Darker Places Trilogy—three Academy offers Rodgers & Barer’s Once Upon plays which center around one man’s descent a Mattress: An Adaptation for Pre-High into madness, all taking place in “the darker School Students, Feb. 10–12, and North places” of his mind and of his home. “This Oconee High School presents Arthur Miller’s February will mark the world premieres of The Crucible, Feb. 18–20.

Basement and Crawlspace, and will bring Dunham’s staged reading of Attic into a full Town and Gown Players’ Dancing at production, which I’m very excited about,” Lughnasa, by Brian Friel, runs Feb. 11–13 Guyton said. For more information, see www. & 17–20. The Second Stage season contindanguyton.com. ues with Crave, by Sarah Kane, Feb. 25–27.

Auditions for Little Shop of Horrors are Feb. Guyton’s description of his continuing 14 & 15. See www.townandgownplayers.org for growth as a playwright is also exciting to more info. follow, and I hope will inspire you to see his shows and well as these other fine producSome of the playwrights mentioned above tions. We are truly fortunate to have such a are not household names, but many will rich and diverse theatre community in our recognize Daniel Guyton, whose Darker area.

Places Trilogy is being produced by Circle Ensemble Theatre, Feb. 25 & 26, Mar. 4 & 5 Rick Rose theatre@flagpole.com

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11

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

127 HOURS (R) Academy Award winner Danny Boyle’s newest film is based on the true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston (the increasingly interesting James Franco), who resorts to doing anything to survive after he is trapped under a boulder.

ALL GOOD THINGS (R) Capturing the Friedmans director Andrew Jarecki turns to fiction features with this murder mystery based on New York’s most notorious unsolved cases. A detective (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) investigates a missing persons case involving the heir to a real estate dynasty (Ryan Gosling) and a young woman from the wrong side of the tracks (Kirsten Dunst). Another late 2010, Ryan Gosling film vying for Oscar love.

ANOTHER YEAR (PG-13) The incredible Mike Leigh (Naked, Secrets & Lies, Topsy Turvy, Vera Drake, Happy-Go-Lucky) returns! Spend four seasons in the life of the happily married Tom and Gerri (Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen) and their miserable circle of friends and family.

BARNEY’S VERSION (R) TV producer Barney Panofsky (the typically infallible Paul Giamatti) reflects on his three marriages, battles with the bottle, and the mysterious disappearance of his best friend, Boogie (Scott Speedman, always remembered for “Felicity”) in this adaptation of Mordecai Richler’s last novel.

BEST OF THE NY INT’L CHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL (NR) Each year this festival presents a kaleidoscopic collection of the best new animation, live action and experimental film for children from around the world.

Visit their website (www.gkids.tv/tour) or Ciné’s (www.athenscine.com) for more information.

THE BETRAYAL (NR) A Laotian family, the Phrasavaths, escape to America after the secret air war waged in tandem with the Vietnam War by the United States. Unfortunately, this family finds another war waiting for them on the streets of New York.

BIUTIFUL (R) Critical darling Alejandro González Iñárritu (Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel) returns with what sounds like a Spanish-language

version of Clint Eastwood’s Hereafter (not a compliment). In Barcelona, Uxbal (Javier Bardem, who won Best Actor at Cannes) struggles to be a good husband and father, while using his ability to speak to the deceased to eke out a living.

BLACK SWAN (R) Great does not begin to describe Black Swan nor does it do this complex film justice. Let’s call Black Swan what it is: stunning, original, another imperfect masterpiece from filmmaker Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler). Aging ballerina Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) finally lands a lead as the Swan Queen in Swan Lake. But as the pressure mounts, Nina begins to suspect that the pretty new dancer, Lily (Mila Kunis), is out to Single White Female her. Or are her suspicions those of a raving lunatic raised by a madwoman, Nina’s mother Erica (Barbara Hershey), on the verge of utter selfdestruction?

BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (R) 1999.

Three film students (Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard and Michael Williams) head into the woods to document Maryland’s Blair Witch phenomenon.

This film purports to be their footage, which captures their final days.

BLUE VALENTINE (R) The perfect past and broken present of working class couple Dean and Cindy (Golden Globe nominees Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams) is examined in a crosscut fury by writer-director Derek Cianfrance. Early buzz has been strong, though Blue Valentine is supposedly far from a light-hearted romp at the movies. Originally rated NC-17, the film won its R on appeal.

BURLESQUE (PG-13) What Showgirls was to All About Eve, Burlesque is to Showgirls. Not nearly as awfully entertaining as Paul Verhoeven’s glitzy Vegas crassterpiece, Burlesque stars Cher as the proprietor of a struggling Sunset Strip burlesque club and Christian Aguilera as the dancing diva with a voice strong enough to save it.

CASINO JACK (R) This docudrama recounts the rise and fall of superlobbyist Jack Abramoff (Kevin Spacey, who is sure to garner Oscar buzz) and

M OVIE L ISTI N GS Schedules often change after our deadline. Please call ahead.

ACC LIBRARY (706-613-3650)

The Betrayal (NR) 7:00 (Th. 1/27)

CINÉ (706-353-3343)

Blue Valentine (R) 5:00, 7:30, 9:45 (starts F. 1/28) (no 9:45 Su. 1/30) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (PG-13) 2:00 (Sa. 1/29 & Su. 1/30) I Love You Phillip Morris (R) 5:15, 7:30, 9:30 (W. 1/26 & Th. 1/27) 5:15, 9:30 (F. 1/28-Tu. 2/1) (no 9:30 show Su. 1.30) (9:30 only W. 2/2 & Th. 2/3) Kids Flix Short Films: Best of NY Int’l Children’s Film Festival (NR) 2:15, 3:30 (Sa. 1/29 & Su. 1/30) Made in Dagenham (R ) 5:00 (Wed. 1/26 & Th.1/27) The Social Network (PG-13) 7:15, 9:45 (Wed. 1/26 & Th. 1/27) White Material (NR) 7:15 (F. 1/28-W. 2/2) 5:15 (Th. 2/3)

UGA TATE CENTER THEATER (706-542-6396)

The Blair Witch Project (R) 8:00 (Th. 1/27) Paranormal Activity 2 (R) 3:00, 6:00, 9:00 (F. 1/28-Su. 1/30)

Accurate movie times for the Carmike 12 (706-354-0016), Beechwood Stadium 11 (706-546-1011) and Georgia Square 5 (706-548-3426) cinemas are not available by press time. Visit www.flagpole.com for updated times.

12

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 26, 2011

his business partner, Michael Scanlon (Barry Pepper), who wheeled and dealed with Washington’s most powerful players.

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER (PG) Fox’s first entry since snatching up the rights to the popular C.S. Lewis franchise after Walt Disney dropped it, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, hereby known as Narnia 3, continues the series’ downward spiral since the first entry, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

CLIENT 9: THE RISE AND FALL OF ELIOT SPITZER (R) Academy Award winning documentarian Alex Gibney charts the rise and fall of former New York Governor and present CNN anchor Eliot Spitzer.

THE COMPANY MEN (R) TV megaproducer John Wells (“ER,” “The West Wing”) makes his feature film debut with this timely drama. Three men— Bobby Walker, Gene McClary and Phil Woodward (Oscar winners Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper and Tommy Lee Jones)—deal with losing their jobs in the present recession and the effects on their wives, lives and communities.

COUNTRY STRONG (PG-13) A TV movie with a capital TV, Country Strong boasts some likable individual parts that fail to add up. Country superstar Kelly Canter (Gwyneth Paltrow, doing all her own singin’ and accentin’, y’all) is released from rehab and goes back on the road with a singing beauty queen, Chiles Stanton (Leighton Meester) and a singing cowboy, Beau Hutton (Garret Hedlund, Tron: Legacy).

But the pressure of reviving her career and saving her marriage (to a slightly Ricky Gervais-ian Tim McGraw) is too much for the too brightly burning star.

THE DILEMMA (PG-13) The Dilemma, the first comedy from director Ron Howard since 1999’s Edtv, has aspirations to be more than a silly slapstick farce. When the guy in imbroglio is played by Vince Vaughn, who is nearly always better than his chosen material, and the filmmaker is an acclaimed Oscar winner, you hope for a bit more than poorly edited, sophomoric gags.

DUE DATE (R) After the big-time breakthrough of The Hangover, director Todd Phillips (Road Trip) returns with this comedy about a soon-to-be father, Peter Highman (Robert Downey, Jr.), who must hitch a ride with aspiring actor, Ethan Tremblay (Zack Galifinakias), if he wants to make it to his child’s birth on time. Something feels off in the trailer for this seemingly funny comedy.

FAIR GAME (PG-13) Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity) directs this drama based on the government’s outing of CIA Operative Valerie Plame. Naomi Watts stars as Plame, whose identity was leaked while investigating WMDs in Iraq after her husband, Joseph Wilson (Sean Penn), wrote a 2003 New York Times op-ed piece critical of the Bush administration. With Ty Burrell (so funny on “Modern Family”), Bruce McGill (you’ll know him when you see him), Sam Shepard and Brooke Smith (the awesome reality TV satire Series 7: The Contenders).

FASTER (R) The Rock shelves the family-friendly brand he’s been marketing the past few years for a motorized, violent, revenge thriller that seems

custom-built for Vin Diesel. Dwayne Johnson’s Driver has just released from prison. Now he is on a monolithic mission to slaughter the men responsible for the death of his bank robbing brother.

THE FIGHTER (R) Mark Wahlberg stars as boxer “Irish” Micky Ward, whose brother, Dick Eklund (Christian Bale), helped him train before going pro in the 1980s. Seeking to rehab his image after that awful I Heart Huckabees footage went viral a few years back. David O. Russell took over this project that Darren Aronofsky was prepping prior to The Wrestler. I wonder how welcoming the set was, with the combination of notorious hotheads Russell and Bale. With Amy Adams and Melissa Leo. FROM PRADA TO NADA (PG-13) In this Latinized version of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, two spoiled little rich girls (10,000 BC’s Camilla Belle and grown-up Spy Kid Alexa Vega) move to East L.A. to live with their estranged aunt after the sudden death of their supposedly wealthy father. Co-writer Fina Torres previously wrote and directed Woman on Top with Penelope Cruz but was passed over for director Angel Garcia, who makes his feature debut.

THE GREEN HORNET (PG-13) More unconventional on paper than Ang Lee’s Hulk, The Green Hornet is an interesting entry in the overpopulated, same-y superhero genre. The original 1930s radio serial created by George W. Trendle begat a 1940s film serial and 1960s television program starring Bruce Lee before spawning this latest, strangest adaptation, directed

by French visualist Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and written by slacker star Seth Rogen and his Superbad partner Evan Goldberg. What is stranger still is that this unconventional production never really goes beyond convention, and the fun movie is no worse for it.

GULLIVER’S TRAVELS (PG) Travel writer Lemuel Gulliver (Jack Black) is shipwrecked on the island of Lilliput, in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle, where he towers over the natives.

Though they first imprison him, he soon becomes a favorite, helping scheme to defeat the Lilliputian rivals, the Blefuscudians.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1 (PG-13) I cannot find fault with this flawless penultimate installment of the stalwart franchise. The three young leads have matured tremendously as actors; Emma Watson has improved vastly since the game-changing third film. Director David Yates continues to bring Rowling’s magical world to rousing, tangible life. The landscapes of the hopeless, doomed, lonely HP7.1 resembled a post-apocalypse and conjured up the highest possible praise; it reminded me of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and The Empire Strikes Back.

HEREAFTER (PG-13) Clint must be feeling mortal. The sturdy old director’s newest film, a supernatural melodrama (it’s not quite his thing), asks and unsuccessfully tries to answer the eternal query: What happens after we die?

HOW DO YOU KNOW (PG-13) An aging (27?!) athlete Lisa Jorgenson (Reese Witherspoon) starts feeling her age and winds up getting involved in a love triangle with her baseball player

boyfriend (Owen Wilson) and a crisisridden corporate guy (Paul Rudd).

I’m a big fan of Oscar-winning writerdirector James L. Brooks (Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News, As Good As It Gets), who hopefully will get back on track after the pretty blah Spanglish.

With Brooks regular Jack Nicholson as Rudd’s dad.

I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS (R) See Movie Pick.

THE ILLUSIONIST (PG) Triplets of Belleville filmmaker Sylvain Chomet returns with this wondrous looking traditionally animated feature. Based on a concept by the late, adored Jacques Tati (if you do not know the near silent French comedian of whom I speak, check out Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday immediately), The Illusionist is a stage magician struggling against the ebbing tide of vaudeville. Enter a young girl named Alice who changes his life forever. The Illusionist is the best chance traditional animation has to beat its computer generated competition for all the year-end prizes.

JACKASS 3 (R) Everything I said four years ago in my Jackass Number Two review holds true for Jackass 3. It’s disgusting, filthy, violent and fracking hilarious.

THE KING’S SPEECH (R) To combat a nervous stammer, King George VI (Colin Firth), AKA Bertie, works with an unorthodox speech therapist, Lionel Logue (Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush).

Director Tom Hooper helmed HBO’s excellent “John Adams” and Elizabeth I. This historical picture is shaping up to be Firth’s best Oscar shot yet; the trailer predicts a winner. With Helena Bonham Carter as George’s daughter Queen Elizabeth II, Guy Pearce as Edward VIII, Michael Gambon as King George V and Timothy Spall as Winston Churchill.

LIFE AS WE KNOW IT (PG-13) When their mutual friends die in a car accident, two singletons (Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel) find themselves thrust into the role of caregiver for their orphaned daughter. Director Greg Berlanti (a successful TV show vet from “Dawson’s Creek,” “Brothers and Sisters” and the much-missed “Everwood”) looks to snatch the crown of heartfelt hilarity from Judd Apatow using Apatow’s own Knocked Up queen. New writing duo Ian Deitchman and Kristin Rusk Robinson could be next big thing.

LITTLE FOCKERS (PG-13) The Fockers, Greg and Pam (Ben Stiller and Teri Polo), now have a couple of kids, taking a little of grandpa Jack Byrnes’ (Robert De Niro) heat off of Greg. But with the twins’ birthday party on the horizon, old suspicions—and old pals like Teri’s ex Kevin (Owen Wilson)—are returning to haunt male nurse Gaylord Focker. Director Paul Weitz (About a Boy) takes over for Jay Roach, the director of the first two mega-hit comedies.

LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS (R) The raunchy romdramedy Love and Other Drugs delivers on its titillating promise to show loads of Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway naked and banging.

MADE IN DAGENHAM (R) Sounds like another satisfying Britcom. In 1968, the female workers at the Ford Dagenham car plant went on strike to protest sexual discrimination. The swell cast includes Sally Hawkins, who probably will not get her first Oscar nomination for this (she should have

gotten one for Happy-Go-Lucky) and Bob Hoskins. Director Nigel Cole also helmed A Lot Like Love, Calendar Girls and Saving Grace. Word is good on the script by TV writer William Ivory.

THE MECHANIC (R) Jason Statham gets his Bronson on in this remake.

Elite hit man Arthur Bishop (Statham) takes an apprentice, Steve McKenna (Ben Foster), under his wing.

Complications arise after learning McKenna has connections to an earlier target. I really like the idea of the upand-coming Foster as an assassin-intraining, and I’ve watched enough crap with Statham to brave another. Director Simon West knows action from his time with Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Con Air, but is it the right kind? With Donald Sutherland.

MEGAMIND (PG) Megamind wittily tweaks the superhero genre with enough ingenuity and crafty celebrity voice-work to save a parent’s weekend trip to the movies. Dreamworks’ Megamind could not stand up to the real costumed heroes like Pixar’s The Incredibles, but the superhero satire would make a capable animated sidekick MONSTERS (R) Set in an alternate reality where alien life forms have invaded and mutated the animal population of a quarantined Mexico, reporter Andrew (Scoot McNairy) is tasked with escorting his boss’ daughter, Samantha (Whitney Able), back to the United States. When their passports are stolen, Andrew and Whitney must risk traveling over land during the migration period of los monstruos. Sci-fi fans expecting an explosive monster-aminute thriller will be disappointed initially, but the climactic payoff is worth the deliberate trek to get there.

THE NEXT THREE DAYS (PG-13) I cannot think of a more implausible thriller that I found compelling, against my better judgment. A schoolteacher husband and father, John Brennan (Russell Crowe), plots a prison break for his wife, Lara (Elizabeth Banks), an innocent imprisoned for murder. After consulting a criminal expert in prison breaks (Liam Neeson), John must ironically break the law his imprisoned wife did not if he is to free her.

NO STRINGS ATTACHED (R) Could No Strings Attached be this year’s Valentine’s Day? It does star Ashton Kutcher, is helmed by a washed-up “comedy” director (Ivan Reitman), and is really, really poorly written.

Two friends (so the movie calls them despite their only having met three times), Emma and Adam (Natalie Portman and Kutcher), engage in a strictly sexual relationship that leads to love. I wish comedy writers would learn raunch is not funny for raunch’s sake alone.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 (R) You could not make a better sequel to a gimmicky, low budget horror blockbuster than Paranormal Activity 2. (Blair Witch 2 showed exactly how NOT to do it.)

RED (PG-13) Retired black ops agent Frank Moses (Willis) is classified RED—Retired, Extremely Dangerous.

To survive, he goes on the road, picking up his former teammates, all of whom have also been declared RED due to a mysterious early-’80s operation in Guatemala.

THE RITE (PG-13) Based on journalist Matt Baglio’s book, California priest Gary Thomas (Colin O’Donoghue) is sent to Rome by his bishop to be trained as an exorcist. While at the Vatican’s exorcism school, he encounters demonic forces, and his views on the spiritual battle between good and evil change.

SEASON OF THE WITCH (PG-13) As silly as the newest Nic Cage action flick is, I am shocked it did not end with the Donovan hit of the same name.

Two Crusaders (Nicolas Cage and the

welcome Ron Perlman) desert the papal army after being asked to slaughter thousands of innocents. While trudging across Europe, the duo are found out and tasked with transporting a witch to some monks that intend to cure the plague. The trip does not go smoothly.

THE SOCIAL NETWORK (PG-13) By the end of this multi-focused deposition of founder Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), a new asshole of an ‘00’s anti-hero has been born to rival the ‘80’s Gordon Gekko and the ‘90’s Hannibal Lecter. The Social Network is the best film of the year.

SOMEWHERE (R) Bad boy actor Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff, who has some real life experience to draw from), rocking the Hollywood lifestyle pretty hard at the Chateau Marmont, is visited by his daughter (Elle Fanning, Dakota’s little sister). Oscar winner Sofia Coppola’s new film won the Golden Lion, the top prize at the Venice Film Festival. Expect a typical Sofia Coppola cinematic experience whether or not you like it.

TANGLED (PG) Disney’s 50th animated feature entertains like some of the best the House of Mouse has ever offered. Can you imagine how magical

this fairy tale could have been had it been traditionally animated and simply titled Rapunzel?

THE TEMPEST (PG-13) Julie Taymor, more acclaimed for Broadway’s The Lion King than any of her film work (Across the Universe) adapts more Shakespeare (she previously filmed a version of Titus).

THE TOURIST (PG-13) Seeing this Angelina Jolie-Johnny Depp team-up may be cheaper than a trip to Venice, but anyone wishing to float the canals of that old Italian city would be advised to wait for discount fares. Don’t bother with The Tourist; let it get lost in 2010’s crowd of underwhelming movies.

TRON: LEGACY (PG) Disney’s big budget, 3D sequel to the cult classic picks up right as game designer Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) again disappears into the Grid, this time leaving his young son, Sam, behind. The insanely entertaining Tron: Legacy is the best amusement park ride/laser light show you’ll see at the movies this year.

TRUE GRIT (PG-13) To help distance their new film from the John Wayne classic, Joel and Ethan Coen are calling it a new adaptation of the novel by Charles Portis rather than a remake.

A young girl (Hailee Steinfeld) hires gruff U.S. Marshal Reuben J. “Rooster” Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to help find the man who killed her father.

UNSTOPPABLE (PG-13) The fleet, hour and a half, bullet train that is Unstoppable gets audiences to its destination by the most scenic, suspenseful route. Starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine.

THE WAY BACK (PG-13) Another POW escape flick à la The Great Escape and Rescue Dawn, The Way Back chronicles the efforts of several soldiers, led by the young (Jim Sturgess, 21), to break out of a gulag in Sovietoccupied Poland.

WHITE MATERIAL (NR) 2009. Maria (Isabelle Huppert), attempts to save her coffee plantation while rebel soldiers are on the rampage, destroying any remaining symbol of colonialism. Nominated for the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion.

YOGI BEAR (PG) What can you say about another CGI-live action update of a classic cartoon? Yogi Bear will satisfy children while providing the parents an hour and a half to disengage.

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Love’s Too Strong a Word I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS (R) Ah, wintertime, when Ciné transforms from that really cool place downtown that shows those really cool foreign/independent/art films to your best cinematic friend. Seriously, most of the big-budget Hollywood releases this time of year are crap (ex: No Strings Attached). The real gems are at Ciné, where many of the festival winners and award-bait films are just arriving in Athens.

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Morris (Ewan McGregor). The two fall in love, leading Steven to another fraud-filled crime spree and several (too many) escape attempts.

While no one would mistake I Love You Phillip Morris for one of Carrey’s early career laugh riots, the film is intensely funny, especially early on as Steven transitions into his gay lifestyle. Despite an almost creepy-looking countenance, Carrey remains immensely likable as the charming conman. Unfortunately,

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I Love You Phillip Morris is a mixed bag. On the one hand, I love seeing Jim Carrey going to these darker, comic destinations rather than taking the easy route back to superstardom in dumb comedy after dumb comedy. On the other, the directorial debut of Bad Santa writers Glenn Ficarra and John Requa suffers from quite a few flaws that probably can be laid at their feet.

This black comedy recounts the true story of con man Steven Russell (Carrey). A former policeman, Steven turns to a life of crime to pay for his new high-flying lifestyle as a gay man. When he’s finally caught, Steven is sent to prison where he meets doe-eyed Phillip

screenwriters Ficarra and Requa take some missteps in their first time directing. The 98-minute film’s pace slows as Steven makes multiple escape attempts to get back to Phillip. Also, Steven and Phillip hail from the South, so Carrey and McGregor are encouraged to carry on with cartoonish accents that won’t sound “riiite” to any true Southerner. A minor quibble to be sure, but it stands out in a film so dependent upon these two actors to carry on a convincing love affair. Yet I do believe Steven loved Phillip. I just wish I cared more for him; I merely like Phillip Morris.

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13

film notebook threats & promises News of Athens’ Cinema Scene Late to the Party: Like many of you, I’ve been reading articles about Olivier Assayas’ Carlos for a good six months and, lately, watching the year-end accolades roll in (it has topped a healthy number of 2010 year-end critics’ polls). IFC has released it in theaters in a truncated, 185-minute version, but it was screened at Cannes and as a miniseries on French television at 330 minutes. I caught it last week on The Sundance Channel, which recently has been airing the full miniseries in three consecutive segments; a final scheduled broadcast begins at 8 p.m. Feb. 5.

Actual News: Longtime denizens of Athens film culture were crestfallen last year when the UGA French Film Festival, for years a late-winter highlight that brought big, appreciative crowds to the Tate Center theatre, didn’t materialize. So, it was with great pleasure that I received word from Richard Neupert, head of film studies at the university and the festival’s main organizer, that it will return in 2011—but quick, too. At 8 p.m. each Monday in February, a 35mm print of a recent French film will be screened at the Tate, beginning Feb. 7 with Claude Miller’s

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Music News And Gossip Welcome to the fourth full week of the New Year. Have you kept your resolution to see more shows, check out bands you’ve not yet heard and, you know, just generally keep your ear closer to the ground? Well, OK, but you should go ahead and start this week. Here’s a little primer to get you going…

Take Off Your Coat: For a very limited time, you can download a copy of the latest record

by The Visitations, The Conundrum Tree, over at www.facebook.com/losvisitations. Although released in 2008, there’s probably a decent number of you who have never heard it, so lend a listen. Seriously, I have no idea how long the band will keep this going. If you happen to hear this news too late to grab a free copy, then just take your lumps and head over to www.orangetwin.com and pay for one.

The Good Word: I was reminded again recently of how harsh indoor heating can be on acoustic guitars. Considering that Athens has had a pretty intense winter, all of y’all who have indoor heat need to keep in mind that this heat rapidly dries out the air in your house.

Accompanying this sudden lack of humidity are loose frets, warped necks and a host of other problems. Local guitar maestro Jeff Rahav Segev

Tiquette, Tiquette: of Montreal will take a well-deserved break for a few months after completing the latest leg of touring behind its album, False Priest. If you missed the band this time around, or if you want to see them again, tickets are on sale for a May 20 appear-

Bird Names—composed of David Lineal and Phelan la Velle—as difficult because that sets up a weird barrier that supposes to separate art into high and low categories. It’s much more precise to apply the seemingly disparate terms of blissful, irritating and confounding. The duo’s nearly total disregard for pop formality surprisingly yields itself to tiny moments of outright preciousness. And while the band is heading into its eighth year, with a pile of releases and lineups behind, I find that I still need more time to flesh out exactly what I think. If you’re interested, you can spend some time with them on Jan. 29 at Go Bar. Bone up on your listening over at www. birdnamesmusic.com.

A Secret will screen at the Tate Center Monday, Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. as part of the UGA French Film Festival.

Assayas is a French director with a particularly international sensibility and with a deep personal connection, specifically, to the cinemas and cineastes of Hong Kong and Taiwan: he made a documentary for French TV on the great Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien, was a dear friend of another, Edward Yang, for whom he wrote a moving and insightful eulogy in Film Comment, and was married to the Hong Kong star Maggie Cheung, who played lead roles in his breakthrough 1996 film Irma Vep and, after their divorce, in his 2004 Clean.

His films, then, have a particular awareness of and interest in the trappings of globalization, and that in turn may be why his handling of the story of Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, the international terrorist-for-hire made notorious in the Western press as Carlos the Jackal, feels so authoritative. Assayas is able to make sense of the dizzyingly complex web of political rivalries, alliances and even mysteries that allowed his subject to operate for over two decades as a professional assassin, always under the pretense of striking blows on the behalf of the world’s oppressed and often, conversely, in the direct employ of its totalitarian governments.

That also makes sense to Assayas, who doesn’t balk at the inconsistency between Carlos’ professed ideologies and blatantly compromised enacting of them: he trusts we’re smart enough to realize that, of course, that’s far from unusual in the world even if a truly iconic example of it does merit a five-and-ahalf-hour film treatment that doesn’t exactly shy away from its more sensational aspects. A 330-minute movie had better not be boring, after all, and Carlos isn’t. It’s an epic examination of the now-almost-quaint-seeming reality of global political terrorism that preceded our current one by about a generation, with all the sex and punk rock left in.

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 26, 2011

2007 A Secret, which has only been screened in Athens at the 2009 Athens Jewish Film Festival (more on that later). Feb. 14 is what I believe to be the first screening here of Agnès Varda’s heralded 2008 The Beaches of Agnès, followed Feb. 21 by Roman de Gare (2007) by Claude Lelouch and Feb. 28 by Summer Hours, the exquisite 2008 film by our friend Olivier Assayas. Tickets are $2—you can’t lose!

I Said I’d Get to It: So, yeah, it’s about time for the Athens Jewish Film Festival, which in its first two years has become one of the most diverse, adventurous and successful film events this town has to offer. This year’s will run Feb. 19–22 at Ciné with closing night festivities at the Rialto Room Feb. 23; check here in coming weeks for more details and, in the meantime, go to www.athensjff.org.

The Rest of It: The ACC Library’s iFilms series screening for Jan. 27 is The Betrayal, a 2008 documentary about Laotians forced to emigrate to the states because of the secret U.S. military campaign in their home country during the Vietnam War. Feb. 3 is Me Facing Life, a new doc that takes a hard look at the circumstances surrounding a 16-year-old girl’s murder of a 43-year-old man. Screenings are Thursdays at 7 p.m. in the library auditorium at 2025 Baxter St.… After a holiday break, the ICE-Vision series is returning to UGA’s Lamar Dodd School of Art. The Jan. 27 screening is Federico Fellini’s second feature from 1953, the semiautobiographical I Vitelloni, followed Feb. 3 by Le doulos, Jean-Pierre Melville’s grim, ultra-stylish 1962 underworld drama. ICE-Vision screenings are Thursdays at 8 p.m. in Room S150 of the art school.

Dave Marr film@flagpole.com

Cracker with David Lowery (second from left) ance at Atlanta’s Buckhead Theatre. The show is $23 in advance, and more info can be found via www.thebuckheadtheatre.com. Keep up with of Montreal over at www.ofmontreal.net.

Cavemen Barhop Event: It was going to be hard to match the coolness of David Barbe taking over as interim director of the Music Business Program at UGA. However, the appointment of Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker frontman David Lowery to a teaching position comes pretty close. Lowery will teach a course this semester titled Fundamental Concepts in Music Business. Lowery’s experience in multiple facets of the music industry (major and indie record labels, self-publishing, worldwide touring, etc.) makes him a perfect candidate for the job. I really hope the kids in his class appreciate everything he’s going to bring to the table. And if they don’t, Mr. Lowery, flunk ‘em! For more info, please see www.terry.uga.edu/musicbusiness.

m

Can You Name ‘Em Today?: Athens-viaChicago band Bird Names will release its album Metabolism: A Salute to the Energy of the Sun on Mar. 8 via Brooklyn, NY label Northern Spy Records. I hesitate to describe

Soileau says, “The top of a guitar can shrink as much as a 1/4 inch” because of lack of humidity, and he recommends picking up a cheap humidifier for your guitar room. If you’re broke and can’t buy one, he says people can drop him a line and he’ll tell you how to make one “with a Ziploc bag, a sponge and a hole-punch.” Sadly, it’s the more expensive, real-wood guitars that suffer the most damage and not the cheapo laminate, wood composite ones. For more info, ask your favorite guitar expert or drop a line to Soileau at info@AthensGuitar.com.

Last Call. Really: Are you in a local band that has always dreamed of having one of your songs appear on an AthFest compilation?

Will you live the next year in a fog of shameful regret if you miss the chance to submit a song? Well, get it in gear! Get your submission form from www.athfest.com and then take yourself, the form and a CD with your tune down to The Fred Building (220 College Ave.) by Tuesday, Feb. 1. Remember, that’s The Fred Building, not the Flagpole office.

Now, go in peace.

Gordon Lamb threatsandpromises@flagpole.com

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hen it comes to straightforward, distorted guitar-driven, quirky-yetcatchy rock tunes, somebody has to hold down the proverbial fort. While Pavement is busy rehashing its Slanted and Enchanted glory days and the world waits for The Strokes to make another album as infectious as Is This It, the five Brits comprising Yuck are hatching plans for world domination.

Granted, these kids (and I do mean kids— like, born-in-the-‘90s kids) are not recreating the landscape of modern rock. Their tunes are anthemic and workmanlike. The lyrics are abstract as a Jackson Pollock painting.

Indeed, this is well-trodden territory.

Considering the band’s newfound success— getting signed to reputable record label Fat Possum, touring overseas despite only forming a few months ago—the question begs to be asked: What makes Yuck so special?

“I have no idea!” writes Yuck guitarist Max Bloom in an email interview. He adds, “We don’t consider whether our music is any better or different from anything else out there; we just want to make the best music possible.”

Yuck has certainly been working to craft the songs comprising its self-titled debut album, which was recorded over the past few months between a friend’s London studio and Bloom’s parents’ house.

He writes, “I’d say maybe 25 percent of what we do ends up being a Yuck song. We’re always writing individually, so there ends up being quite a lot of unused instrumentals.

Maybe they’ll be released as a four-disc boxset in 100 years.”

Yuck’s garage-rock aesthetic makes the band sound festive and spontaneous, and that was by design. Most everything on the album was recorded live—much to the dismay of Bloom’s neighbors.

He writes of the recording process, “Ny neighbours kept telling me to keep the noise down, which meant I had to move into a smaller room. Plus, the valves on the amps kept heating up and making the room boiling hot, and it was already so hot outside; it made it sort of unbearable. I knew I had to take a break when my pedals started getting wet from sweat drips.

“The end product was terrifying,” Bloom adds. Yuck will be released on Feb. 15, though it’s already receiving high praise from the few music outlets that have covered it. Indie tastemaker online magazine Pitchfork has christened Yuck as a new band to watch out for, and the band is confirmed for a number of big summer festivals. So, when you see the band play at the 40 Watt on Jan. 31, you can say you saw them before they were big.

Speaking of Yuck’s local appearance, one song in particular, “Georgia,” wound up being a choice cut from Yuck, complete with a music video showing—what else?—old footage of a bunch of British dudes in the 1960s driving race cars. The video makes no sense. The lyrics don’t offer too many clues as to the song’s meaning, either.

Asked what he thinks about playing the song to real-life Georgians, Bloom writes, “I think it will give the song a completely new meaning.”

Mark Sanders

WHO: Yuck, Smith Westerns, The Humms WHERE: 40 Watt Club WHEN: Tuesday, Jan. 31, 9 p.m.

HOW MUCH: $10 (adv.)

FRI. FEB. 4

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2/10 - Comedian Brian Posehn 2/11 - RJD2 (post WSP) 2/12 - Cosmic Charlie

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Giving Yuck a New Meaning The British Buzz Band Invades the 40 Watt W

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Saturday January 29 9am-5pm

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC - ADMISSION IS FREE Exhibits, interactive displays, kids’ activities, educational seminars, recycling opportunities and an eco-fashion show featuring Alasia Ballard from America’s Next Top Model!

Items that can be recycled at the 2011 Green Life Expo:

(Residential Collection - no commercial material accepted)

Alasia Ballard America’s Next Top Model Cycle 14

Batteries - alkaline & rechargeable (no car batteries) Bulbs - Compact & regular fluorescent tubes (no incandescent) Electronics including TV’s Used cooking grease Block and/or formed packing Styrofoam (#6 plastic) blocks & coolers (no cups, trays or peanuts) Old holiday cards for reuse Broken Christmas tree lights VHS tapes/DVDs/CDs/Floppy Disks

Visit www.GreenLifeAthens.com for more information The third annual Green Life Expo is made possible by the generous support of:

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 26, 2011

Best Coast

David Black

S

urf and sunshine probably don’t remind anyone of the high-rises and subway systems of New York City, which is why Best Coast could never be an East Coast band.

Bethany Cosentino figured that out soon after defecting from her sunny native California to study creative writing in the decidedly less balmy streets of Manhattan.

“At the end of my semester [at The New School], I thought, ‘I really don’t like it here.

I want to start playing music again.’ So, I just dropped out, cold turkey. Then I ended up moving back home and writing new songs,” she says. “I think most parents would be like, ‘No, you can’t drop out of college and move home to start a band that will go nowhere.’

But my parents were like, ‘Sure, sounds fine to me.’”

Those songs were the beginnings of Best Coast, a lo-fi, reverb-blasted surf pop band with melodies and lyrical content fashioned from the Brian Wilson and Phil Spector playbooks. Sunshine and teen themes from love to weed abound on the band’s instantly likable debut record, Crazy for You, appropriately released last summer. It’s the perfect vacation at the beach soundtrack, and outlets like Pitchfork and musicians like Bruce Springsteen are buying the hype.

It’s definitely a long way from her work with the monotonous spacy dub rock of Pocahaunted, which she left in 2009 when she moved to New York. Crazy for You, while not the only record out there mining the beach party garage sound, is actually fun from sunrise to sunset. It’s been a labor of love for Cosentino, if nothing else.

“I wanted to play music but didn’t know what kind of music I wanted to make. That was the sort of thing I got roped into doing with my friend at the time. [Pocahaunted bandmate Amanda Brown] and I just sat down and made this kind of music up and just went with it and did it,” she says. “With Best Coast, it’s more music that’s suited to who I am and what I listen to and the sort of music I would want to hear myself make. This is just something I’m more comfortable doing. This is more of a project I actually put my heart and soul into.

“It’s something that I kind of always knew was something I would do in the long run, but

I never really found a project that felt as natural as this one does,” she adds. “But neither of us [Bobb Bruno nor I] expected it would become something we did for a living.”

The band has achieved success with its youthful and simplistic lyrical content, ears well-tuned for a hook and Cosentino’s strangely pretty, unassuming voice that doesn’t try to stretch into something it’s not.

She also has a sweet and laid-back attitude that’s as apparent on the record as it is in conversation. She takes that attitude into the studio with her, which she says is why Best Coast released several singles before actually putting out an album—it gave her the time and freedom to ensure she was making the music she really wanted to make.

That’s been her goal since the day she realized she had something to say and didn’t have to depend on others to do the songwriting for her, she says. And one of the most rewarding things about being with Best Coast is finding out how many people respect and relate to her lyrics. Being young and in love is something everyone can get.

“Something that’s really cool and exciting to me is when we play all-ages shows and you get to see those people who listen to your music and how it can range from a sixyear-old to a 60-year-old guy. You don’t really make music for a specific age group—at least I don’t. I don’t make music for a specific type of person,” she says. “So, it’s really cool to go places and meet people who are buying your record and people tell you they have a personal connection to a song. It is a very relationship-based record, a lot of very lovesick songs or whatever, and people come to the shows and they’re going through a breakup and they really relate to a song. It makes me feel like I’ve done something that can touch somebody else in a good way, and that’s nice.”

Jennifer Gibson

WHO: Best Coast, Wavves, No Joy WHERE: 40 Watt Club WHEN: Friday, Jan. 28, 9 p.m.

HOW MUCH: $15 (adv.)

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Friday Jan. 28 @

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CREATION • REVISION

DJRX MUSIC

upstart roundup Introducing Athens’ Newest Talent

John Granofsky

FERAL YOUTH Electro/House/Dance Lineup: Chris Howe, apc40, MacBook Pro. Former member of: Shapiro, Kebert Xela.

Influences: A-trak, Fake Blood, JUSTICE, daft punk, boys noize.

You may recognize the hair—you’ve seen it thrash wildly onstage with electro-rock outfit Kebert Xela and swing in an ecstatic blur with pop band Shapiro, but now its owner, multi-instrumentalist and artist Chris Howe, is head-banging behind the turntables as Feral Youth.

Howe first got into remixing and creating mash-ups while on tour with Shapiro. As the band made its way across the country, Howe was plugged into his laptop, working on original and remix dance material. Once the band returned home, Howe’s debut EP of mash-ups and remixes was ready for an audience, and he hit the bar and club circuit.

Word spread fast. After a couple sweaty stints at Go Bar, Max Canada and 283 Bar, Feral Youth is well on his way to becoming the go-to guy for local bands looking to amp up their b-sides. Bambara and The Gold Party both included Feral Youth remixes on their latest releases, and Howe says he just finished a new track for a remix album by Up Until Now. He’ll also join Decepticron in taking over The Loft Dance Lounge on Jan. 28 for the fourth installment of “Eurotrash.”

“I just enjoy dance music and song production, so remixing and DJ-ing are a perfect outlet for that,” he says. He also knows a thing or two about getting a dance floor jumping, with high-energy sets that bounce from top-40 mash-ups to full-on house-music ravers.

Nerf Sword Look for an EP of original electronic music due out later this year. In the meantime, get your pulse raising with the tunes streaming at www.feralyouth.net.

Next show: Feb. 5 @ 283 Bar LIARS & LOVERS Radio Age Rock Lineup: Johann Greco, Kelen Rylee, Zach Greco, Sebastian Greco, Derek Almos. Influences: CSNY, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen.

Frequenting the indie clubs, sometimes it feels like this town is solely populated by quirky, left-ofcenter pop acts, but Athens has its share of grounded, classic rockers as well. Liars & Lovers is for fans of big bluesy riffs, and their brand of American rock comes straight from the heart. “We lived, we wrote it, we sing it and we still live,” declares the band.

Liars & Lovers’ set features songwriter Johann Greco’s powerful croon which, depending on the vibe of the song, can take on a pop sheen (like on the anthemic, “If I Could See”) or snarl with Southern rock abandon (see “At It Again”).

The group is currently working on its first studio album, but brothers Johann and Zach are no newbies—as a duo, they’ve played together for 10 years and played in separate house bands and groups for about six years before forming Liars & Lovers. The brothers grew up jamming along with radio hits and old blues, but Zach also got into hip-hop and college rock

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 26, 2011

Feral Youth

while attending UGA. That mix of influences helps give the unabashedly “radio rock” band a subtly jagged edge of authenticity.

The first few tracks the band recorded are now available for download at www.reverbnation. com/liarsandlovers. The band is gearing up for a tour this spring, heading all over the Southeast.

Next show: Feb. 19 @ Flicker Theatre & Bar

NERF SWORD Psychedelic Sludge Pop Lineup: Scott Woodward, Jarrod Sellars. Shares members with: Nuclear Spring, Last American Hero. Influences: Dreams and nightmares, love and conspiracy, God and time, rock and roll.

“Nerf Sword was founded as a vehicle for the untold stories of monsters and heroes of the past and future,” says Woodward. “These often tragic but hopeful tales of love and courage are the seeds of a larger vision I have for the project that is yet unrealized.” Asked to describe the band’s sound, Woodward offers: “Loud, ominous landscapes swathed in a blanket of reverb, thunder and soul.”

The nascent group is already facing an impending lineup change, as Sellars is preparing to ship out of Athens to join the Navy. Woodward says he’s waiting to get a new lineup solidified before releasing any records. In the meantime, you can hear a demo up at www.myspace.com/nerfsword. The track, titled “Twain,” doesn’t quite fit the description offered by Woodward, save for the warm blanket of reverb. It’s actually a subdued, pleasant little pop ditty with a breezy, lo-fi feel. But it’s just one track after all—check out the band live to see what other tricks the group might have up its sleeve—ominous sludge may yet be in its songbook.

Next show: Thursday, Jan. 27 @ Flicker Theatre & Bar BIG HUG, LITTLE KISS Fun/Rock/Kick Lineup: Jeff Gess, Rob LeBer, Daniel Gold. Former members of: Fashion Knee High, Bang-u-tot, Nero and the Burning Violins, Stegosaurus, The Yahoos, Candy. Influences: Quiet Hooves, Bubbly Mommy Gun, Shithead, Skoene Oeke.

A local band with local influences, Daniel Gold says Big Hug, Little Kiss sounds like “Joni Mitchell- wannabes who listen to too much Quiet Hooves and Bubbly Mommy Gun.” You might also pick up a bit of Randy Newman in this group’s bounding, quirky anthems.

Additionally, the group says it draws from its members previous projects, a mix of high-energy pop, punk and rock groups.

With the recent departure of Marshall Yarbrough (our beloved Flagpole intern who recently moved up to New York), BHLK is pushing forward as a trio and is currently working on its debut record. Once some songs are put on tape, you’ll be able to preview them at www.myspace.com/bighuglittlekiss.

Next show: Check its website for details.

Michelle Gilzenrat music@flagpole.com

the calendar!

WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK

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

Tuesday 25 EVENTS: Relay for Life Kickoff Party (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) An evening of live music, skits and snacks. Meet cancer survivors and team captains and learn more on how to participate in this year’s relay.

6–8 p.m. FREE! www.relayforlife.org/ clarkega KIDSTUFF: Children’s Storytime (ACC Library) For children ages 18 months to 5 years. Tuesdays & Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 KIDSTUFF: Exploring Craft (Treehouse Kid and Craft) For children 6 & under. Accompanied by a story or puppet show. 10 a.m. $10 706-850-8226 www.treehousekidandcraft.com KIDSTUFF: Kids’ Beginning Art (Whole: Mind. Body. Art.) Children are exposed to basic techiniques and encouraged to explore their own creative ideas. Materials provided.

Tuesdays, 5–6 p.m. $10 (adv.) $12 (drop-in). 706-410-0283 KIDSTUFF: Recycled Arts (Whole: Mind. Body. Art.) Kids are invited to explore thier creativity through art projects where found objects are transformed into art pieces.

Tuesdays, 3:45–4:45 p.m. $10 (adv.) $12 (drop-in).

LECTURES & LIT.: Brown Bag Lunch (ACC Library) Join local naturalist and photographer Chuck Murphey for a discussion on mason bees. Feel free to bring a lunch to this 45-minute program. 12:15 p.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 LECTURES & LIT.: “Building Bridges in Times of Crisis” (UGA Chapel) Join Sylvia Earle, National Geographic explorerin-residence and former chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2 p.m.

FREE! 706-542-1830, hpy@uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: “Malnutrition: Genes, Vaccines and Means to Intervene” (UGA Chapel) Physician researcher William Petri will discuss how individual genetic differences influence susceptibility to malnutrition. 5:30 p.m. FREE! 706-542-5038, murrayd@uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: Visiting Artist and Scholar Series (Lamar Dodd School of Art, Room S151) This session’s speaker is Claudy Jongstra, a textile designer. 5:30 p.m. FREE! 706-542-0116, www.art.uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: Women to the World (Trumps on Milledge) This month’s theme is “Celebrating Afgan Women” with keynote speaker Doris Aldrich. Program includes lunch, live music and hard-hitting information. Call for reservations. 12 p.m. $18. 706-548-0000 MEETINGS: Sitting Meditation Group (Mind Body Institute) Silent meditation. 12:30 p.m. FREE! 706475-7329

MEETINGS: Upper Oconee Watershed Network Annual Meeting (Ciné BarCafé) With food and drinks, plus updates on Trail Creek and other local water news.

7–9 p.m. FREE! www.uown.org 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: Poker Night (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Last Tuesday of every month. 8:30 p.m. www.myspace. com/flickerbar GAMES: Senior Bingo (Rocksprings Neighborhood Center) Enjoy refreshments and play for prizes in this monthly game for players 50 and older. 10:30 a.m. $4. 706-613-3603

Wednesday 26 EVENTS: Canine Cocktail Hour (Hotel Indigo, Madison Bar & Bistro Courtyard) Drink and food specials for you and your (well-behaved, non-aggressive, vaccinated) dog!

This week: salty dogs and greyhounds. Every Wednesday. 5-7 p.m. www.indigoathens.com EVENTS: Network Athens (The Rialto Room) Celebrating local business through networking, hors d’oeuvres, special guests and live music. 7–9 p.m. RSVP at www. indigoathens.com/bizparty EVENTS: Plotluck Night (Ciné BarCafé) Come with a true short story from your life to share at this monthly event. Ten names will be drawn, and those chosen get five minutes and a mic. The audience votes for the best story and prize recipient. 7 p.m. FREE! plotluck@ gmail.com, www.athenscine.com KIDSTUFF: Children’s Storytime (ACC Library) For children ages 18 months to 5 years. Tuesdays & Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 LECTURES & LIT.: Genetics Seminar (UGA Life Sciences Building, Room B118) Dany Voytas of the University of Minnesota presents “Precise Genome Engineering with Sequence-Specific Nucleases.”

4 p.m. FREE! whites@uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: Oil Spill Symposium Panel Discussions (Georgia Center) “Scientfic Synergies” (8:30 a.m.), “The Human Connection” (10:10 a.m.), “Covering Catastrophe” (11:15 a.m.), “Promoting Partnership” (1:15 p.m.), and “Building Bridges” (2:45 p.m.). 8:30 a.m. FREE! 706-5421830, oilspill.uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: Panel Discussion (ACC Library) Discussion on the Treatment & Accountability Court with Judge David Sweat and Tracy Tarbutton.

6–8 p.m. FREE! www.fightthestigma. com

LECTURES & LIT.: “Windows, Mirrors or Mirages?” (UGA Aderhold, Room G23) Seminar taking a critical look at the portrayal of immigrants in children’s and young adult literature. 12 p.m. FREE! 706542-6446, willardl@uga.edu MEETINGS: American Sign Language Study Group (Two Story Coffeehouse) All skill-levels welcome. Come once or come weekly. 7 p.m. FREE! www.myspace. com/aslstudygroup MEETINGS: Daughters for Change Interest Meeting (UGA Tate Center, Room 482) Come to learn about the creation of Daughters for Change and meet the founders.

7:30–8:30 p.m. FREE! 404-7516838 GAMES: Dart League and Pool Tournament (Alibi) Meet up with other sharp-shooters. FREE! 706549-1010 GAMES: Sports Trivia (Beef ‘O’ Brady’s) Every Wednesday. Win house cash and prizes! 8:30 p.m.

FREE! 706-850-1916 GAMES: Texas Hold ‘Em (Allen’s Bar & Grill) Tons of prizes! 7–11 p.m. FREE! www.anytwocards.com GAMES: Texas Hold ‘Em (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) Poker night every Wednesday. 18 and up. Sign in at 6:30 p.m. Dealing begins at 7:30 p.m. FREE! www.interstatepokerclub. com 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

Thursday 27 EVENTS: Blind Wine Tasting (Aromas) Sample eight wines for $10. 6–8 p.m. $10. www.aromaswinebar.com EVENTS: iFilms: The Betrayal (ACC Library) Fearful of imprisonment or execution after the Vietnam War, the Phrasavath family makes the courageous decision to escape to America. 7 p.m. FREE! 706-6133650 EVENTS: Yappy Hour for (WellBehaved) Dogs (283 Bar) Happy hour is all the more happy when your dog is by your side. Come out for drink specials for humans and endless bowls of water and treats for the furries. 5–8 p.m. 706-208-1283 PERFORMANCE: Faculty Recital (UGA Ramsey Concert Hall) Featuring Milton Masciadri on double bass. 8 p.m. $5. www.music. uga.edu PERFORMANCE: Student Recital (UGA School of Music) Liz Han, piano. 5 p.m. FREE! www.music. uga.edu THEATRE: Fuddy Meers (UGA Fine Arts Building) University of Georgia’s Department of Theatre and Film Studies presents this comic

Michael Lease’s artwork is featured in the “Take Part” group show at ATHICA through Mar. 6. mystery. Jan. 27–29 & Feb. 2–5, 8 p.m. Feb. 6, 2:30 p.m. $12–$15.

706-542-4400, www.drama.uga.edu/ events/boxoffice 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: Music for Children with Special Needs Meet and Greet (UGA Music Building) Receive info on music classes through the UGA Community Music School. All ages welcome. 5:15 p.m.

FREE! 706-542-2894, www.uga.edu/ ugamcs/musictherapy.html KIDSTUFF: Pajama Storytime (Madison County Library) Snuggle in your jammies with your favorite stuffed animal and listen to bedtime stories. Light snack provided. All ages. 7 p.m. FREE! 706-795-5597 KIDSTUFF: Read to Rover (Oconee County Library) Readers in grades 1–4 are invited to bring their favorite book and read aloud to a certified therapy dog. 3:30–4:30 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 KIDSTUFF: StoryTube Tips (ACC Library) Find out more about how to create, edit and submit your own video for the contest! 4:30 p.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 LECTURES & LIT.: Book Signing (Borders Books & Music) Discussion and signing of A Very Simple Crime by Atlanta author Grant Jerkins. 7 p.m. FREE! 706583-8647 MEETINGS: Clarke County Democratic Meeting (Clarke County Courthouse, Grand Jury

Room) All interested persons are invited to attend. 6 p.m. FREE! 706202-7515 MEETINGS: The Committee of 1000 Celebration (The Georgian) Athens Habitat for Humanity is able to build a new 3-bedroom house for $67,000. Find out how individual donations can make a difference at this informational gathering. 6:30 p.m. FREE! pr@athenshabitat.com GAMES: Beer Pong (Alibi) The classic tournament-style game. 9 p.m.

FREE! 706-549-1010

Friday 28 EVENTS: International Coffee Hour (UGA Memorial Hall) Enjoy an afternoon treat and be entertained by UGA student drag performers. 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. FREE! ART: Open House (Cedar Street Studios) Tour the studio, see student projects in jewelry and metals, and build a brooch or ring. Refreshments provided. 8–10 p.m. FREE! mpearse@uga.edu PERFORMANCE: 20th Anniversary Ballroom Magic (UGA Dance Building) Featuring choreography by founder Mark Wheeler, directors Mike Fulford and Natalie Cox, BPG alumni and guest artists. Jan. 28, 8 p.m. & Jan. 29, 2 p.m. $10 (students), $15. 706-542-8579, www. franklin.uga.edu/dance PERFORMANCE: Exsomnium Variety Show (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Come check out this evening of acts from singers, comedians, performance artists and talent of all kinds. 8:30 p.m. $5. www.myspace. com/flickerbar

PERFORMANCE: Laptop Orchestra of Lousiana (UGA School of Music, Room 264) The LOL is a research and performance ensemble dedicated to the exploration of real-time computational technologies and digital media for the purpose of group music-making.

5:30 p.m. www.music.uga.edu THEATRE: Fuddy Meers (UGA Fine Arts Building) See Jan. 27 Theatre Listing. Jan. 27–29 & Feb. 2–5, 8 p.m. Feb. 6, 2:30 p.m. $12–$15.

706-542-4400, www.drama.uga.edu/ events/boxoffice KIDSTUFF: Books & Bites (Madison County Library) Eat pizza and read! For teens only. No library voice required. 8–10 p.m. FREE! 706-795-5597 KIDSTUFF: Japanese Storytime (ACC Library, Storyroom) Learn about Japanese culture from UGA’s Japan Outreach Program. 5 p.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 KIDSTUFF: Preschool & Toddler Storytime (Madison County Library) Includes stories, fingerpuppet plays, songs and crafts for literacy-based fun. 10:30 a.m. FREE! 706-795-5597 LECTURES & LIT.: 15 Years of TRIPS Implementation (UGA Dean Rusk Center) Intellectual property law experts gather to discuss the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) during a day-long conference. 8:30 a.m. FREE! www.law.uga. edu/news/8570 LECTURES & LIT.: 27th Annual Marraige and Family Therapy Institute (Georgia Center) Topics relevant to practice with families and

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Friday, Jan. 28 continued from p. 19

this year’s theme: “Going Beyond Acceptance: Effective Clinical Strategies Working with Gay & Lesbian Families.” 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. $95 (students), $150. 800-8841381, nwilliam@uga.edu, desegregation.uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: I Love Lucy Panel Discussion (UGA Miller Learning Center, Room 148) Moderated by Dr. Richard Neupert. 4 p.m. FREE! www.cha.uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: So Right So Smart (The Classic Center) The Sustainable Industry Roundtable group hosts a film screening for local businesses. Includes lunch and talk with Erin Meezan, VP of Sustainability Interface, Inc. 12–2:30 p.m. $20. 706-613-3512, ext. 317 LECTURES & LIT.: IWS Friday Speaker Series (UGA Miller Learning Center, Room 245) The Institute for Women’s Studies and speaker Chloe Wigston-Smith present “Paper Clothes: Fiction and Fashion in Eighteenth-Century England.” 12:20 p.m. FREE! 706542-2846, tlhat@uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: Sociology Colloquium (UGA Miller Learning Center, Room 250) Sara Morris presents “Trajectories of Offending Among African American Adolescents: The Role of Turning Points.” 2:30 p.m. FREE! 706-5838072

p.m. Feb. 6, 2:30 p.m. $12–$15.

706-542-4400, www.drama.uga.edu/ events/boxoffice KIDSTUFF: Naturalist Assistant Program Training Introduction (Sandy Creek Nature Center) Teens 13–18 years old are invited to join the Sandy Creek Nature Center as volunteers. Learn about all the animals at the center and how to teach visitors about nature. Registration required. 1–5 p.m. FREE! 706-6133615 ext. 231 KIDSTUFF: Snow Globe Workshop (Oconee County Library) Make your very own snow globe. All materials will be supplied. For ages 3 & up.

11 a.m. FREE! 706-769-3950 KIDSTUFF: Story & Craft: The Little House (Treehouse Kid and Craft) Make a craft inspired by the book. 10 a.m. $10. 706-850-8226 www.treehousekidandcraft.com KIDSTUFF: YouTube Video Creation Workshop (Oconee County Library) Brainstorm ideas, then write, direct and act in a film.

Sign-up and permission form required. For ages 11–18. 3–6 p.m.

FREE! 706-769-3950 GAMES: Shadowfist Tournament (Tyche’s Games) Final Brawl format.

Noon, $1. 706-354-4500, www. tychesgames.com

Saturday 29

EVENTS: The Ultimate Bridal Show (Georgia Center) Come see the top bridal merchants in Athens, along with a bridal fashion show and more at this spectacular event: the bridal show to end all bridal shows.

12–5 p.m. $8. 706-542-2134, www. athensweddingprofessionals.com ART: Mirror Mob: A Group Photo Shoot (ATHICA) Unique group photo in which participants will be reflected in each other’s mirrors.

Participants are encouraged to bing a medium-sized mirror. 3 p.m. FREE! www.athica.org PERFORMANCE: Gospel Variety Show (Seney-Stovall Chapel) Featuring Comedian Sherman Golden, The Levites, The Notes, Kingdom Mime Dance Ministry, Karar Praise Dance Ministry and Virtuous Women of Praise. 6–8 p.m.

706-255-5697, sherman@kinghenterprise.com LECTURES & LIT.: Book Signing (Borders Books & Music) Georgia authors Richard Hutto and David Hallman will discuss and sign copies of their new titles. Hutto’s A Peculiar Tribe of People provides a glimpse into pre-Civil Rights Georgia. Hallman’s The Growing Season is a mystery novel. 2 p.m.

FREE! 706-583-8647 GAMES: Full Contact Trivia (Amici Italian Café) Come with your buddies and test your knowledge! 9 p.m.

FREE! 706-353-0000 GAMES: Trivia (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) Weekly Trivia! 7 p.m. FREE! 706-354-6655

EVENTS: 3rd Annual Chilly Dawg 5K (Sandy Creek Park) Run or walk your way to the finish on paved paths throughout the park.

Proceeds benefit the College of Family and Consumer Sciences Alumni Association and the ARCH Foundation of UGA. 9 a.m. $20.

706-542-3386, www.active.com EVENTS: District 1 History Day Contest (Georgia Center) More than 100 students representing 32 counties in Georgia will participate in this year’s competition. The 2011 theme is “Debate & Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences.” 8:30 a.m–3 p.m.

706-542-3554, oasp@georgiacenter.uga.edu EVENTS: Elegant Salute XII: Metamorphosis (Georgia Museum of Art) Official reopening celebration and ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Explore the new museum and enjoy a night of cocktails, dinner and dancing. 7 p.m. $250. 706-5420437, www.georgiamuseum.org EVENTS: Third Annual Green Life Expo (The Classic Center) Exhibits, educational seminars, recycling opportunities and kids’ activities focused on green living. 9 a.m.–5 p.m. FREE! 706-208-0900 www. acc-recycle.org ART: Annual Art Auction (Foundry Park Inn & Spa) Benefiting the Mental Health Association of Northeast Georgia. 6–9 p.m. 706549-7888, www.fightthestigma.com PERFORMANCE: 20th Anniversary Ballroom Magic (UGA Dance Building) Jan. 28, 8 p.m. & Jan. 29, 2 p.m. $10 (students), $15.

706-542-8579, www.franklin.uga. edu/dance PERFORMANCE: Benji Brown (UGA Tate Center) Comedian best known for his character KiKi, Brown has appeared on ESPN’s “Cold Pizza” and Jamie Foxx’s “Laffapalooza.” 8 p.m. $10 (students), $20. uga.edu/aacc THEATRE: Fuddy Meers (UGA Fine Arts Building) See Jan. 27 Theatre Listing. Jan. 27–29 & Feb. 2–5, 8

20

Sunday 30

Monday 31 ART: “Drawing from the Soul” (UGA Tate Center, Grand Hall) Exhibition featuring pieces from Dawud Anyabwile’s graphic novel series “Brother Man.” Light refreshments will also be served. 7 p.m.

FREE! 706-542-8468, www.uga. edu/aacc KIDSTUFF: Bedtime Stories (ACC Library) Snuggle in your jammies and listen to bedtime stories. Every Monday. 7 p.m. FREE! 706-6133650

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 26, 2011

LECTURES & LIT.: Last Monday Book Group (ACC Library, Small Conference Room) This month’s title is Mario Vargas Llosa’s Death in the Andes. Newcomers welcome. 7 p.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 GAMES: Rock and Roll Trivia (Little Kings Shuffle Club) Get a team together and show off your extensive music knowledge every Monday! 8 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/littlekingsshuffleclub GAMES: Team Trivia (Beef ‘O’ Brady’s) Every Monday night. Bring your friends! 8:30 p.m. FREE! 706850-1916 GAMES: Texas Hold ‘Em (Johnny’s New York Style Pizza) Play to win!

7–11 p.m. FREE! www.anytwocards. com GAMES: Trivia (Blind Pig Tavern) Think you know it all? 8 p.m. 706548-3442

Tuesday 1 EVENTS: Call of Life (UGA Miller Learning Center) Film investigating the rapid loss of biodiversity on the planet and exploring the causes of mass extinction. 7:30 p.m. FREE! www.uga.edu/sos/filmfest KIDSTUFF: Children’s Storytime (ACC Library) For children ages 18 months to 5 years. Tuesdays & Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 KIDSTUFF: Exploring Craft (Treehouse Kid and Craft) 10 a.m. $10 706-850-8226 www.treehousekidandcraft.com KIDSTUFF: Kids’ Beginning Art (Whole: Mind. Body. Art.) Children are exposed to basic techiniques and encouraged to explore their own creative ideas. Materials provided.

Tuesdays, 5–6 p.m. $10 (adv.) $12 (drop-in). 706-410-0283 KIDSTUFF: Recycled Arts (Whole: Mind. Body. Art.) Kids are invited to explore thier creativity through art projects where found objects are transformed into art pieces.

Tuesdays, 3:45–4:45 p.m. $10 (adv.) $12 (drop-in).

LECTURES & LIT.: “In His Honor” (UGA Tate Center, Grand Hall) A program honoring the late Hamilton Holmes. 7 p.m. FREE! 706-3636970 GAMES: Locos Trivia (Locos Grill & Pub) All three Athens locations of Locos Grill and Pub (Westside, Eastside and Harris St.) feature trivia night every Tuesday. 8:30 p.m.

FREE! www.locosgrill.com

Wednesday 2 EVENTS: Canine Cocktail Hour (Hotel Indigo, Madison Bar & Bistro Courtyard) Drink and food specials for you and your (well-behaved, non-aggressive, vaccinated) dog!

This week: salty dogs and greyhounds. Every Wednesday. 5-7 p.m. www.indigoathens.com 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: Original Signing Day Enthusiasts (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) Find out which high school seniors will be recruited for college football teams. Special guests and staff members of ugasports.com will be present. 7 a.m. www.buffaloscafe. com EVENTS: Screening: Hoxie: The First Stand (Ciné BarCafé) The story of a small Arkansas

town whose school board chose to integrate its classrooms in the summer of 1955. Part of the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Desegregation of UGA. 5 p.m. FREE! www.athenscine.com EVENTS: Signing Day Party (Blind Pig Tavern) Come cheer on the newest bulldawgs with a live radio remote from 960 The Ref. 8 a.m.

FREE! 706-548-3442 ART: 6X6: “Time” (Ciné BarCafé) Fast, fun and free! This monthly series of curated video, sound, performance, and multi-media works presents six new media art works, each no longer than six minutes.

This month’s show is curated by Brian Hitselberger. 7 p.m. FREE! hexadic.blogspot.com ART: Beverly Pepper (UGA Ramsey Concert Hall) Lecture by sculptor Pepper in honor of the Georgia Museum of Art’s grand reopening.

Pepper’s statue “Ascension” will be on permanent display in the quad. 6 p.m. FREE! 706-542-4662 THEATRE: Fuddy Meers (UGA Fine Arts Building) See Jan. 27 Theatre Listing. Jan. 27–29 & Feb. 2–5, 8 p.m. Feb. 6, 2:30 p.m. $12–$15.

706-542-4400, www.drama.uga.edu/ events/boxoffice KIDSTUFF: Children’s Storytime (ACC Library) For children ages 18 months to 5 years. Tuesdays & Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 KIDSTUFF: Wildcard Wednesday for Teens (ACC Library) Up next: Drawing Basics! Learn about shading and light resources. Ages 11–18. Space is limited. 4 p.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650.

LECTURES & LIT.: “The Future of Graduate Education in the Humanities’ (UGA Miller Learning Center, Room 148) A moderated faculty panel discussion. 4 p.m. FREE! www.cha.uga.edu

LECTURES & LIT.: Word of Mouth (The Globe) Monthly open poetry readings every first Wednesday.

8 p.m. FREE! www.athenswordofmouth.com MEETINGS: American Sign Language Study Group (Two Story Coffeehouse) All skill-levels welcome. Come once or come weekly. 7 p.m. FREE! www.myspace. com/aslstudygroup MEETINGS: Daughters for Change Interest Meeting (UGA Tate Center, Room 482) Come to learn about the creation of the Daughters for Change and meet the founders.

7:30–8:30 p.m. FREE! 404-7516838 GAMES: Sports Trivia (Beef ‘O’ Brady’s) Every Wednesday. Win house cash and prizes! 8:30 p.m.

FREE! 706-850-1916 GAMES: Texas Hold ‘Em (Allen’s Bar & Grill) Tons of prizes! 7–11 p.m. FREE! www.anytwocards.com GAMES: Texas Hold ‘Em (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) Poker night every Wednesday. 18 and up. Sign in at 6:30 p.m. Dealing begins at 7:30 p.m. FREE! www.interstatepokerclub. com 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 * Advance Tickets Available

Live Music Tuesday 25 Alibi 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 KARAOKE Every Tuesday with the Singing Cowboy!

Go Bar 9 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar ROBERT BURNS’ BIRTHDAY Tenth anniversary of the celebration of Scottish poet and bard Robert Burns’ life, as commemorated by local, old-time folk players Bob Hay and the Jolly Beggars, playing songs written by the poet.

Hendershot’s Coffee Bar “Robert Burns Night.” 10 p.m. FREE! 706-353-3050 THE DICTATORTOTS Outrageously crude, these chaos cultivators stomp about and trash the night with their beery post-grunge sounds.

Highwire 8–11 p.m. FREE! 706-543-8997 KENOSHA KID Centered around the instru-improv jazz compositions of guitarist Dan Nettles, Kenosha Kid’s music borrows freely from multiple sources and hammers it all into a seamless product. Every Tuesday!

The Melting Point “Terrapin Bluegrass Series.” 7 p.m. $4. www.meltingpointathens.com SEVEN HANDLE CIRCUS Layered and lush bluegrass with modernsounding vocals and lyrics.

Rye Bar 10:30 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ ryebarathens GHETTO MEZRAB Local experimental jazz jams with an extra dose of funk.

Wednesday 26 Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $5 (21+), $8 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com ALIEN NATION Local band that plays a mix of alt-rock and heavy punk.

Mondays

Open Mic Night Rye Bar Booking a show involves a fair amount of work and planning beforehand. Mired in an increasingly testy email exchange with a booking agent, most would find the notion of playing without all the preliminary rigmarole appealing. It’s good news, then, that Rye Bar has recently restarted its Monday Open Mic Nights.

The concept is a familiar one, but The Hypsies performing at Rye Bar. those behind the scenes at Rye Bar are hoping to draw more than the standard solo acoustic acts. David Tammer, who handles booking for the venue, emphasizes the flexibility performers will have: “If they want to do something on acoustic, come in with a two or three-piece set up, if they want to rap—whatever they want to do,” he says, the venue will be receptive. Each act will have 20 to 30 minutes, ensuring that no one gets cut short.

Earlier, Rye Bar’s Open Mic was set up as a contest, with a jury and prizes for the winners. Losing its sponsor, the now-defunct Athens Blur magazine, the event went on hiatus, but its return was only a matter of time. “The open mic at Rye and D.T.’s [Down Under, which occupied the space Rye is in now] has been a long-standing tradition for anyone who wants to get a start,” says Tammer. It’s “one of those traditions that needs to be brought back.”

The new incarnation will feature a judge who will pick the night’s best act. This act will be offered an opening slot on Tuesday or Wednesday of the following week. Those willing to perform can sign up at the bar after doors open at 9 p.m. or email ryebar@ comcast.net to reserve a slot. After that, Tammer says, it’s simple. “Bring your crowd, bring your music and play.” [Marshall Yarbrough]

Charles-Ryan Barber

THE CALENDAR!

and Blues Quartet plays tonight with special guests The Blue Dogs.

Wednesday, January 26

Daikaiju, Lazer/Wulf, Sorry No Ferrari New Earth Music Hall If you type “daikaiju,” pronounced (“die-kie-joo”), into any search engine you’ll immediately be inundated with video clips of Godzilla vs. Mothra and pseudo-anime renditions of Daikaiju Japanese pop culture. The enigmatic psycho-surf collective of the same name feeds off of this hyper-reality, a strange beast speeding towards oblivion and Dragonball Z. Take your favorite surf rock tune, maybe the ubiquitous “Misirlou”, inject it with menacing metal undertones, pop in some Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and let the Daikaiju experience overwhelm you.

Adding to their allure is the fact that next to no one knows their true identities. They don’t even conduct phone interviews. Every member wears traditional kabuki masks during their performances. Their aliases are not derived from Ronin Warriors characters as you might expect. Secret-Man and Rock-Man battle each other mercilessly with their diabolical guitar riffs while Rumble-Man and Hands-Man make up a formidable rhythm section. Unlike Slipknot, Kiss or even Gorillaz, this anonymous act keeps it all instrumental, preferring to let their thrashing do the talking instead.

Their latest album, Phase 2, came in at number 10 on Metal Injection’s “top-10 albums of 2010.” Standout tracks, like the catchy “Flight of Garuda” and bass-reverb heavy “Laser Runner,” showcase the group’s ability to transform simple pop melodies into ominous metal anthems. And if you don’t get enough of them this time around, no need to worry, they’ll be back again in February. [Patrick McGinn]

ASHUTTO MIRA Alternative rock quartet with a dark and steely sound.

THE SWANK Backed by alternative guitars and drums, Curtison Jones, AKA Son1, lays down his original rhymes that connect with rap and rock fans alike.

LAZER/WULF This avant-metal instrumental trio mixes in prog, thrash and more eclectic influences for a highly entertaining live show.

SORRY NO FERRARI Instrumental math rock from Atlanta. For fans of Cinemechanica, Manray, etc.

Farm 255 “Primals Night!” 8–10 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com JAKE MOWRER QUARTET Classic and contemporary jazz originals and rarely heard “standards.”

The Office Lounge 9:30 p.m. FREE! 706-549-0840 KARAOKE Every Wednesday and Friday with Lynn, the Queen of Karaoke!

Flicker Theatre & Bar 8:30 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/ flickerbar NESEY GALLONS E6 collaborator whose mostly acoustic numbers feature whimsical lyrics sung with quavering sincerity over acoustic guitar, xylophone and organ.

Go Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar DAMIAN CHURCHWELL & THE OMENS Local songwriter whose mellow acoustic rock is tricked out with electro bells and whistles.

GREENLAND IS MELTING Punchy and rock-influenced bluegrass trio from Gainesville, FL. Hendershot’s Coffee Bar 8 p.m. FREE! 706-353-3050 HALF STITCHED Country-covered Delta blues of local origin.

The Melting Point 9 p.m. $5. www.meltingpointathens. com EFREN Local indie-folksters along the lines of Iron and Wine and Bonnie “Prince” Billy.

MATRIMONY Indie folk from Charlottte, NC whose captivating arrangment of propulsive strings, keen lyrical prowess and big choruses has earned comparisons to acts like Bowerbirds and Arcade Fire.

New Earth Music Hall 9 p.m. $3. www.newearthmusichall. com DAIKAIJU Hard rocking psycho-surf.

See Calendar Pick on this page.

Rye Bar 10 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ ryebarathens CHRIS CUNDARI Jam, electronica and reggae performed live with a looping technique similar to Keller Williams.

Terrapin Beer Co. 5:30–7:30 p.m. $10 Glass. www.terrapinbeer.com LOUISE WARREN Emotionally honest songs by 20-year old singersongwriter from Macon. Her performance will include originals and a few surprise covers.

283 Bar 10 p.m. FREE! 706-208-1283 DJ Z-DOG Zack “Z-Dog” Hosey spins dance classics, punk, ‘80s and more.

Thursday 27 Farm 255 11 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com BASSHUNTER Matt Goodlett, guitarist for Atlanta blues/Americana band Ben Chapman & the Accents, offers this new outfit that’s heavy on the bass.

Flicker Theatre & Bar 8:30 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/ flickerbar SUBSCRIBER Self-described “rootsy vacuum pop” that borrows elements from garage rock and psych pop.

40 Watt Club 8 p.m. $5. www.40watt.com LEAVING ARABY Pop-rock quartet with a style akin to yesteryear radio

sweethearts Goo Goo Dolls, Gin Blossoms and the like.

THE LESS Atlanta pop band in the vein of John Mayer.

Go Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar DR. FRED’S KARAOKE Hosted by karaoke fanatic John “Dr. Fred” Bowers.

THE K-MACKS Danceable, highenergy country-fried punk rock for fans of acts like The Avett Bros.

Hendershot’s Coffee Bar 8 p.m. FREE! 706-353-3050 ODD TRIO Jazz ensemble featuring Marc Gilley (One Ton Tomato).

Hilltop Grille 8-11 p.m. FREE! 706-353-7667 MILLIGAN Acoustic duo reworks both classic rock and more recent hits from CSNY to Johnny Cash to Jack Johnson to Maroon 5.

Hotel Indigo “Live After 5 on the Madison Patio.”

6–8 p.m. FREE! www.indigoathens. com MIKE STEELE AND TODD COWART Cowart is the guitarist for “wild country” longtimers The Hushpuppies and Steel plays bass for Randall Bramblett Band.

The Max Canada 9 p.m. $2. 706-254-3392 ELITE THA SHOWSTOPPA Gravelvoiced rapper Elite tha Showstoppa is one of Athens’ favorite hip-hop personalities.

NOAH Atlanta songwriter and piano player with a smooth R&B vibe and a background in jazz performance.

THICK PAINT New band featuring Graham Ulicny from Reptar.

WEAPONS OF AUDIO This Atlanta duo offers a funky fun mix of indie rock and hip-hop, taking cues from innovative bands like Outkast.

The Melting Point 9 p.m. $10 (adv.), $15 (door.) www. meltingpointathens.com TERRY ADAMS Keyboardist from critically acclaimed New Rhythm

Rye Bar 10 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ ryebarathens LAISSEZ FUNK Local group plays funk-jam fusion plus covers.

PLOTT Local alternative rock band with tight instrumentation.

SAPPHIRE REBELLION Electro goth-rock from Tallahassee.

Terrapin Beer Co. 5:30–7:30 p.m. $10 glass. www.terrapinbeer.com CONSIDER THE SOURCE Brooklyn trio influenced by their travels to India and the Middle East and the fundamental styles of traditional Eastern music.

283 Bar 10 p.m. FREE! 706-208-1283 IMMUZIKATION Celebrated local DJ Alfredo Lapuz, Jr. mashes up highenergy electro and rock.

RUDIES DON’T CARE DJ duo from NYC spinning ska, reggae and dubstep.

Friday 28 Alibi FREE! 706-549-1010.

RALPH RODDENBERY Traditional country music with a pleasing honkytonk swagger accentuated by the singer’s raspy voice.

Amici Italian Café 9 p.m. FREE! 706-353-0000 STOKESWOOD A mellow, modern alt-rock band from Atlanta that experiments a bit with atmospheric sounds.

The Bad Manor 9 p.m. FREE! (21+), $5 (18-21). www. thebadmanor.com DJRX DJ-remixer Brian Gonzalez delivers original mixes of mainly current pop with forays into rock, old school, country and electronica.

Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com DIERZ EVE Pre-heat your bass drum to 160 bpm and turn up the distortion pedals for this local three-piece metal act.

MANGER Punk rock four-piece with screaming guitars and vocals.

SHARKHEART Local progressive metal band. Formerly known as Cancerstick.

Farm 255 11 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com HEY BROTHER New outfit featuring members of local dream pop band Easter Island.

MONAHAN Ryan Monahan backed

by Josh McMichael on bass and Lemuel Hayes on drums. Ryan has a gorgeous, expressive Jeff Buckleyesque voice that soars and sighs with equal grace.

NATALIE RICCIO The brooklyn-based artist is in town for the month of January recording her third LP with Jim Hawkins engineering and Ryan Monahan and Lemuel Hayes as backing band. She has a classy and sassy voice and syncopated folk style along the lines of Joni Mitchell.

40 Watt Club 9 p.m. $15. www.40watt.com BEST COAST Reverb-laden indie pop with a ‘60s girl group vibe and surfy undertones. The debut single “Boyfriend” has made a splash on hip music blogs. See story on p. 17.

NO JOY Far out fuzz-rock from Montreal with notes of new wave. k continued on next page

Eat. Drink. Listen Closely.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 25 Terrapin Bluegrass Series featuring

SEVEN HANDLE CIRCUS

$4 admission • Terrapin Draft Specials All Night!

EFREN

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26

MATRIMONY Tickets $5 adv.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 27

TERRY ADAMS (NRBQ)

ROCK AND ROLL QUARTET BLUE DOGS

Tickets $10 adv. • $15 at the door

FRIDAY, JANUARY 28

KINCHAFOONEE COWBOYS Tickets $12 adv. • $15 at the door

SATURDAY, JANUARY 29 Nomad Artists presents

DAVE BARNES Tickets $15 adv. • $20 at the door

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1 Terrapin Bluegrass Series featuring

UGLY COUSIN

$4 admission • Terrapin Draft Specials All Night!

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3 Nomad Artists presents

DAN BERN (SOLO)

Tickets $10 adv. • $15 at the door

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4

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

, , DEJA VU

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5

A TRIBUTE TO CROSBY, STILLS, NASH AND YOUNG

Tickets $9 adv. • $12 at the door

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7

THE CIVIL WARS LUCY SCHWARTZ Tickets $12 adv.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9

JIM WHITE

Tickets $10 adv. • $15 at the door

COMING SOON 2/11 - ABBEY ROAD LIVE! 2/12 - FRANCINE REED 2/17 - HIGH STRUNG STRING BAND 2/18 - THE HIGHBALLS 2/19 - MATT JOINER BAND, JAMIE DIDIURCIO 2/22 - CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS 2/24 - SATISFACTION - Rolling Stones Show 2/25 - RANDALL BRAMBLETT BAND 3/5 - DIRK HOWELL BAND 3/10 - COLIN HAY Solo Show 3/24 - KEVINE DEVINE, RIVER CITY EXTENSION, HARDY MORRIS 4/8 - J. MASCIS, LOCATED ON KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS THE GROUNDS OF 295 E. DOUGHERTY ST., ATHENS, GA

706.254.6909

WWW.MELTINGPOINTATHENS.COM

FOR TICKETS & SHOWTIMES OR CALL THE BOX OFFICE 706.254.6909

JANUARY 26, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

21

Atlanta’s Premier Intimate Venue for the Performing Arts

THE CALENDAR! WAVVES Hedonistic noise-pop from San Diego that jumped into consciousness in 2008 when Pitchfork took notice.

Go Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar IMMUZIKATION Celebrated local DJ Alfredo Lapuz, Jr. mashes up highenergy electro and rock.

Hendershot’s Coffee Bar 8 p.m. FREE! 706-353-3050 HOMEGROWN REVIVAL Sweet folk and bluegrass quartet from Dahlonega.

Saturday, January 29 An Evening with

TRAVIS TRITT

A Special Intimate Evening with Travis Tritt in a Rare Solo Acoustic Perfomance

with CLAY LEVERETT Doors 7PM • All Ages. Reserved Seating

Thursday, February 10

BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE ZEUS

Doors 8PM • All Ages. General Admission

Friday, February 18

PAT GREEN

Doors 8PM • All Ages. General Admission

Friday, February 25

OLD 97’S

THOSE DARLINS Doors 8PM All Ages. General Admission

Friday, May 20

of

Montreal Doors 8PM All Ages. General Admission

Advance tickets on sale at

All shows are All Ages. General Admission

3110 Roswell Rd NW (formerly the Roxy) 800.745.3000

find a retail outlet near you

www.ticketmaster.com/outlets

Atlanta GA 30305

thebuckheadtheatre.com

Hilltop Grille 7 p.m. FREE! 706-353-7667 STEVE SHIVER Solo set from frontman of jazz-rock trio from Watkinsville, GA who cite John Mayer and Gordon Lightfoot as influences.

Little Kings Shuffle Club 10 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ littlekingsshuffleclub KLEZMER LOCAL 42 A local sevenpiece Klezmer band specializing in Jewish and Gypsy music and featuring Dan Horowitz of Five Eight.

THE KNOCKOUTS This local group of all-star musicians plays original tunes that pack all the punch of punk rock with diverse, worldly melodies that draw on polka, bluegrass, Cajun and Irish folk music. CD release show tonight!

The Melting Point 9 p.m. $12 (adv.), $15 (door). www. meltingpointathens.com KINCHAFOONEE COWBOYS Georgia six-piece playing country and Southern rock that has kept mostly the same lineup since the members were in high school nearly 20 years ago.

New Earth Music Hall 9 p.m. $7. www.newearthmusichall. com LINGO Funky, soulful jam band from Marietta that recorded its debut album with John Keane (R.E.M., Widespread Panic) here in town.

THE MANTRAS Hailing from NC, this funk-rock psych-fusion band is turning heads in and around the Southeast.

The Office Lounge 9:30 p.m. FREE! 706-546-0840.

THE TANGENTS This country-fried rock group from Watkinsville carries Lynyrd Skynyrd licks and John Mellencamp melodies.

Rye Bar 10 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ ryebarathens EDDIE & THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS Local blues-funk trio.

JAHMAN BRAHMAN Jam rock band self-described as “shred ‘n’ flow”— featuring fluid progressions full of funky wah-wah pedal smooth riffs.

Terrapin Beer Co. 5:30–7:30 p.m. $10 glass. www.terrapinbeer.com ILLICITIZEN Quirky indie-rock duo swinging from cabaret-folk to postpunk to jangy alt-pop.

Saturday 29 Statham Package Store and Bar 8 p.m. 770-725-5621 JJ WELLS Simple and heartfelt country ballads with ominous vocals and masterful guitar solos.

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 26, 2011

Friday, Jan. 28 continued from p. 21

Alibi 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 KARAOKE With the Singing Cowboy!

Amici Italian Café 11 p.m. FREE! 706-353-0000 ELASTIC SKYLINE Funky, psychedelic rock from Milledgeville, GA. The Bad Manor 9 p.m. FREE! (21+), $5 (18-21). www. thebadmanor.com CLASSIC ADDICT Syncopated poprock with a classic flair for guitar solos—from Columbus, GA. Bailey’s American Tavern 10 p.m. FREE! 706-543-7170 BANGRADIO Self-styled slinger of “Athens Euro,” this DJ offers a mix of Eurotrash, dirty South, hip-hop, dubstep, rock and pop remixes.

Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com BAXENDALE GUITAR Originals and covers by guitar shop owner Scott Baxendale and friends.

THE BURNING ANGELS Sweet, male/female harmonies sharing wisdom over soulful Americana.

MATT HUDGINS & HIS SHIT-HOT COUNTRY BAND The local band plays classic country and honky tonk that’s goes down well with a shot of whisky or an ice cold beer.

Farm 255 11 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com FAT SHADOW Vocalist Daun Fields coos operatically over off-kilter garage rock. See Calendar Pick on this page.

OL’ BLUE HEELER Wistful, percussive folk from good ol’ Athens.

CARA BETH SATALINO Witches lead singer plays a solo set.

Flicker Theatre & Bar 8:30 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/ flickerbar JOHN FRENCH Local singersongwriter.

EMILY HEARN Young singersongwriter performs sweet, innocent, melodic acoustic ballads.

EMILY LYNCH Sweet-voiced, upbeat country from Atlanta.

Flight Tapas and Bar 10:30 p.m. FREE! 706-549-0200 MARY ELLEN KLEIN Cute and clever vocals over jazzy, vaudevillian piano.

40 Watt Club 9:30 p.m. $6 (adv.), $8 (door). www.40watt.com EXCALIBRAH AND SWAMP THANG Boastingly tongue-incheek, Je Suis France member D. Hammond performs hip-hop with an experimental, almost psychedelic slant and comical lyrics.

YACHT ROCK REVUE This Atlantabased septet offers spot-on covers of soft rock hits from the ‘70s and ‘80s delivered with kitschy flair. Dancing and captain hats are recommended for smooth sailing.

Go Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar BIRD NAMES A maniacally twisted menagerie of psychedelic, distorted sounds and childlike melodies.

BUBBLY MOMMY GUN Local experimental pop band that plays idiosyncratic, psychedelic tunes.

DJ GRAVEROBBERS Winston Parker spins high-energy electronic, dance and rock music.

GREEN GERRY Particularly dreamlike compositions with folky roots transformed into lush soundscapes via live guitar looping.

TWIN POWERS DJ Dan Geller and friends spin late-night glam rock, new wave, Top 40, punk and Britpop.

Hendershot’s Coffee Bar 8 p.m. FREE! 706-353-3050 HOBOHEMIANS Local four-piece playing a mix of proto-jazz, blues and folk music of the 1910s, ‘20s and ‘30s.

Hilltop Grille 7 p.m. FREE! 706-353-7667 JAZZ NIGHT Every Saturday!

Featuring The Chris Enghauser

Trio and a rotation of top jazz musicians.

Little Kings Shuffle Club 10 p.m. $3. www.myspace.com/littlekingsshuffleclub ADRON Adrienne McCann from Atlanta wraps her voice in warbles and sighs around late-’60s Brazilian Tropicalia and charming satire.

JUSTIN EVANS Local musician with a rich, deep voice who sings about hard drinkin’, fast women and country roads. Evans incorporates elements of old-time fiddle, New Orleans jazz, blues and Americana.

The Melting Point 9 p.m. $15 (adv.), $20 (door.) www. meltingpointathens.com DAVE BARNES Pop-oriented Nashville singer/songwriter.

GABRIEL KELLEY Whether solo or with his backing band, Gabriel Kelley Zorbanos (ex-Gabriel Young) plays heartfelt acoustic folk music informed by rustic country and Appalachian sounds.

New Earth Music Hall 9 p.m. $10. www.newearthmusichall. com BIZKAIA Live electronics: dub, hip-hop, club and drum & bass.

Featuring the production stylings of Eric B. FLT RSK A funky blend of electronica and space rock featuring members of DubConscious.

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

The Office Lounge 9:30 p.m. FREE! 706-546-0840 SALLY AND THE SIX GRAND Rock and roll covers.

Rye Bar 10 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ ryebarathens PLUMNELLEMOON Rock and roll band that believes its sound can “revive any soul.” The group takes cues from Perpetual Groove, DriveBy Truckers and Bonnie Raitt, among other diverse influences.

Saturday, January 29

Fat Shadow Farm 255 “I’ve been thinking for the last couple of years about how punk, in my mind, is evolving as I get older,” says Daun Fields, vocalist for Bloomington, IN band Fat Shadow. “I consider myself a punk, but I also consider myself a lot of other things.”

On a person’s path from the wilds of adolescence to the staid conventions of adulthood, one is wont to pick up an identifying signifier or two on the way to self-definition.

But instead of shedding them outright, it’s possible to bend them to your own meanings as Fat Shadow—Field, Erin Tobey, Chris Mott and Jeff Grant—are proving. Fat Shadow eschews the barked vocals and uptempo gallop usually associated with punk for Fields’ arresting, almost baroque melodies and thoughtful grooves that suggest classic rock re-contextualization. It’s a not-inconsiderable stretching of the aesthetic legs for the quartet, who also spend time in punk circuit mainstays like the Doorkeys, Landlord and Pink Razors.

“For me, it was a conscious move on our part to create something maybe a little more timeless than the music we’d made in the past or a little more open and acceptable,” says Tobey. “I spend a lot of time making music that is really very niche and stylized or specific, and so I was really excited when it seemed like it was going in a direction that was more easily accessed by a variety of people rather than a very specific punk audience.” Fields concurs: “I think that as the punk community evolves, it becomes more open to new ideas and influences and not just a specific type of music. I’m sure there are always people that are gonna be like, ‘That’s not punk enough,’ but I’m not interested in that attitude. I just want to play music that I think is good and my friends think is good and communicates something.” [Jeff Tobias]

Sideways 10 p.m. 706-319-1919 DJRX DJ-remixer Brian Gonzalez delivers original mixes of mainly current pop with forays into rock, old school, country and electronica.

Terrapin Beer Co. 5:30–7:30 p.m. $10 glass. www.terrapinbeer.com MIKE ARMSTRONG Vocalist, acoustic guitarist and harmonica player from local easy-listening cover band, Blossom Creek Breeze.

Monday 31 Dog Ear Books 8 p.m. FREE! 706-818-0976 GOODBYE BLUE MONDAY OPEN MIC Musicians take the stage on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month; poets have the 2nd and 4th.

Flicker Theatre & Bar 8:30 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/ flickerbar JESSE PAYNE Minimalist chamber folk similar to Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes—from Birmingham, AL. STEVEN TRIMMER Acoustic psychfolk that’s technically proficient and melodically spontaneous.

40 Watt Club 9 p.m. $10 (adv). www.40watt.com THE HUMMS Local three-piece known for its loud and bizarre shows and a raunchy, grooving blend of psychedelic garage rock.

SMITH WESTERNS This young Chicago band plays T. Rex-inspired glam mixed with reverb-laden garage rockers.

YUCK Hopeful, jangly ‘90s rock with a healthy dose of distortion and angst.

See story on p. 15.

Go Bar 9 p.m. $3. www.myspace.com/gobar DAMON MOON AND THE WHISPERING DRIFTERS This band from “the hills of Georgia” mixes guitars, bass and drums to make ‘70s-sounding psychedelic folk rock.

TOM EISENBRAUN From-the-heart acoustic ballads from this local artist call to mind the works of Nick Drake, M. Ward or Andrew Bird.

JUNKER Local band with guitar, bass, harmonica, pedal steel, saxophone and drums.

Hendershot’s Coffee Bar 8 p.m. FREE!, $3 to play. 706-3533050.

OPEN MIC Mondays! Hosted by local soulful singer Kyshona Armstrong.

Rye Bar 8:30 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ ryebarathens OPEN MIC Every Monday! Sign up between 8:30 & 9:30 p.m.

Tuesday 1 Alibi 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 KARAOKE With the Singing Cowboy!

40 Watt Club 8 p.m. $12. www.40watt.com CODY CANADA & THE DEPARTED Lead singer of Cross Canadian Ragweed—a dark and modern country outfit.

EDDIE AND THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS Local blues-funk trio.

Highwire 8–11 p.m. FREE! 706-543-8997 KENOSHA KID Centered around the instru-improv jazz compositions of guitarist Dan Nettles, Kenosha Kid’s

music borrows freely from multiple sources and hammers it all into a seamless product glistening with inspiration.

NUÇI’S SPACE BENEFIT

The Melting Point “Terrapin Bluegrass Series.” 7 p.m. $4. www.meltingpointathens.com UGLY COUSIN This Dahlonega, GA group plays a blend of old-time covers and originals centered on “small town life and the trials of living in the ‘New Depression.’”

Wednesday 2 Caledonia Lounge 9:30 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18-20). www. caledonialounge.com BOMBSBOMBSBOMBS Local, quirky pop rock.

DUSTY LIGHTSWITCH Quirky, highenergy local band featuring bluesinfluenced rock.

EUREKA CALIFORNIA Melodic, guitar-driven indie rock influenced by bands like Guided by Voices.

Farm 255 11 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com DARNELL BOYS The three Darnell brothers play and sing country blues originals backed by upright bass, singing saw and junkyard percussion.

I WANT WHISKEY Multiinstrumentalist solo act from Atlanta offering original songs and innovative covers.

40 Watt Club 8 p.m. www.40watt.com ATHENS BUSINESS ROCKS Nuci’s Space invites musicians from different local businesses to compete against each other on the stage of the 40 Watt Club. Proceeds benefit Nuçi’s Space. Tonight’s lineup, starting at 8:30 p.m.: Waffle House, Sunshine Cycles, Flagpole magazine’s supergroup, The McCommunists, Wisevest/ White Systems/Classic Installations/ Auto-Max, Musicians Warehouse, Caledonia Lounge, Smith & Gff LLC/ACC School District and Transmetropolitan. See www.athensbusinessrocks.com for full lineup and schedule.

New Earth Music Hall 9 p.m. $3. blog.newearthmusichall.com SPICY SALSA DANCING Learn how to salsa dance. No partner or experience necessary.

Sky City Lounge & Bulldog Cafe 7:30 p.m. Donations accepted. 70638-7699.

AFRICAN SOUL CD release show!

This inspiring sister duo performs a mix of smooth, soulful R&B and spoken word.

Terrapin Beer Co. 5:30–7:30 p.m. $10 glass. www.terrapinbeer.com TRE POWELL Solo blues and R&B guitarist. * Advance Tickets Available

In the ATL 1/28 Eurotrash (The Loft Dance Lounge) 1/28 Yo La Tengo (Variety Playhouse) 2/4 Dr. Dog (The Masquerade) 2/4 Guster (The Tabernacle) 2/5 Robert Plant (Fox Theatre) 4/8 Scissor Sisters (The Tabernacle) 4/18 Lady Gaga (Gwinnett Center & Arena) * Advance Tickets Available

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

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

THURSDAY, JANUARY 27

LEAVING ARABY

3 NIGHTS OF PERFORMANCES BY BANDS FROM LOCAL BUSINESSES LIKE:

FLAGPOLE, WAFFLE HOUSE, MAMA’S BOY, PEACHMAC, SUNSHINE CYCLES, CALEDONIA, MUSICIAN’S WAREHOUSE & MORE!

(SEE AD ON PG. 2 FOR LISTINGS OF DATES & TIMES)

THE LESS

doors open at 8pm

doors open at 8pm

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 5

FRIDAY, JANUARY 28

DEERHOOF

mtvU Freshman Five and Spin present:

BEST and COAST WAVVES with NO JOY

BEN BUTLER & THE MOUSEPAD TUNA BUNNY doors open at 8pm*

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7

JIMMY EAT WORLD

doors open at 9pm* NOMAD ARTISTS PRESENTS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4

SATURDAY, JANUARY 29

EARLY SHOW!

DAVID BAZAN & BAND

YACHT ROCK REVUE

EXCALIBRAH AND SWAMP THANG doors open at 9:30pm*

MONDAY, JANUARY 31

SMITH WESTERNS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10 WIDESPREAD AFTER PARTY

BLOODKIN doors open at 10pm**

YUCK • THE HUMMS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11

doors open at 8pm**

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1

CODY CANADA & THE DEPARTED DOORS (of Cross Canadian Ragweed)

EDDIE & THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS doors open at 8pm**

doors open at 7pm*

RANDY HOUSER

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

In case you didn’t get what you wanted for Christmas.

We have the greatest selection of of Apple products in Georgia, educational discounts, financing options, in-house repair and always friendly customer service.

ipads • macs • ipods • software • service 1850 Epps Bridge Pkwy • 706-208-9990 • Athens • Augusta • Macon • Marietta • Peachtree City • peachmac.com

JANUARY 26, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

23

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 36th Juried Exhibition: Call for Artists (Lyndon House Arts Center) Professionally oriented art competition seeks submissions from Athens area artists working in visual media. Please submit 1-3 works of art to the Lyndon House on Jan. 27 between 12:30–8:30 p.m. or Jan. 28 between 10 a.m.–4 p.m. $20 (entry fee). 706-613-3623 Call for Artists (Floorspace) FloorSpace is seeking artists for month-long exhibitions. 706-3721833, www.floorspaceathens.com Call for Artists (Hampton Fine Art Gallery) Seeking submissions for the 2011 Grandeur Juried Artists International Exhibition. Go online for a prospectus form. Deadline: Jan. 31, 706-454-2161, www. hamptonfineartgallery.com/files/ Granduerexhibition2011.pdf Call for Entries (ATHICA) Currently seeking work that investigates, reveals or deconstructs the nature of systems. See a full description and instructions online.

No calls please. Deadline: Feb. 11.

Show runs Apr. 9–May 29. www. athica.org/callforentries.php Call for Submissions (Amici Italian Café) Seeking artists for monthly exhibitions in 2011. 706353-0000, athens@amici-cafe.com Call for Submissions (White Tiger Gourmet Food & Chocolates) White Tiger Gourmet is seeking artists for monthly exhibitions in 2011. Please email inquiries to jaseyjones@gmail.com.

Seeking Submissions (Highwire) Highwire Lounge is seeking submissions for monthly exhibitions: large paintings or prints preferred.

478-986-8681, trappezebooking@ gmail.com

StoryTubes Contest (Various Locations) Join kids from across the country by making a short video about your favorite book. Winners receive $250 worth of books for themselves and an additional $250 worth of books for the library.

Submissions are accepted Jan. 19 through Feb. 28. Go online to enter and check out last year’s winners. www.storytubes.info/drupal

AUDITIONS Long Day’s Journey into Night (Elberton Arts Center) Come prepared to read from the script. No teen or children’s roles available.

Jan. 27, 5:30–8 p.m. 706-283-1049, tking@cityofelberton.net, www.elberttheatre.org Rose of Athens Theatre’s 2010/2011 Season (SeneyStovall Chapel) Now holding auditions for As You Like It and Alice in Wonderland. Prepare two one-minute monologues, one classical and one contemporary. Call to schedule audition. Ages 9 to adult.

Feb. 2, 6–9 p.m. www.roseofathens. org, 706-340-9181, danielle@ roseofathens.org

CLASSES Adult Wing Chun Kung Fu (Floorspace) Tuesdays & Thursdays, 5:45 p.m. $12 per class, $60 for 6 classes. floorspacestudio@gmail. com, www.floorspaceathens.com Art Classes (Lyndon House Arts Center) Sign up for winter and spring art classes! For adults, teens and children. Go online for full list of programs. Now registering! 706613-3623, www.accleisureservices. com

Capoeira (Floorspace) Learn this form of Afro-Brazilian martial art!

Tuesdays, 8:15-9:15 p.m. $12, $60 (6 classes). jewaters@gmail.com, www.floorspaceathens.com Classic City Rollergirls Boot Camp (Skate-A-Round USA) So you wanna be a Rollergirl? Learn all the basic derby skills like falls, stops and crossovers! Through Jan. 31, 7–9 p.m. $3 (for skate rental). recruitment@classiccityrollergirls. com, www.classiccityrollergirls.com Clay Classes (Good Dirt) Weekly “Try Clay” classes ($20/person) introduce participants to the potter’s wheel every Friday from 7-9 p.m.

“Family Try Clay” classes show children and adults hand-building methods every Sunday from 2-4 p.m.

706-355-3161, www.gooddirt.net Computer Class: Mouse and Keyboard Skills (ACC Library, Educational Technology Center) Introduction to using a computer mouse and keyboard for adults. Call to register. Feb. 10, 7–8:30 p.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 ext. 354 Continuing Education Classes at Athens Tech (Athens Tech) Register for a class to improve your home, enhance your computer skills, expand your job opportunities and more. Register.

706-369-5763, awhite@athenstech. edu, www.athenstech.edu Continuing Education Classes at UGA (Various Locations) Register for a class to expand your job opportunities, enhance your garden, learn a new language, etc. Go online to learn more. www.georgiacenter.uga.edu Creative Exploration Classes (Wildeye Creative Exploration Studio) Tap into your creative process! Classes for kids and adults. 706-410-0250, www.wildeyecreative.com

Athens Area Humane Society

ADOPTION CENTER

Inside Pet Supplies Plus at Alps Shopping Center • 706.353.2287 Domino is a young adult who will always be a kitten at heart. He’s cute and chubby and loves being pet.

However he has been at the shelter for way too long, probably because he has an oddly shaped pupil and nose. He reaches out to folks for love through his kennel–something he didn’t used to do. So far he has been rejected. Can you love a funny-faced fellow with a big, gentle heart? He will certainly love you back.

CARMELO

1/13-1/19

DOMINO

24

Carmelo is an 18 month old, male, Boxer/ Terrier mix, and weighs 50lbs. He’s house trained and crate trained, but would much rather go on adventures with you than be left at home alone. He loves kids and other dogs.

Carmelo is ready to learn and will do anything for a treat. Read more about him online.

ATHENS AREA HUMANE SOCIETY Not Available at Press Time ACC ANIMAL CONTROL 41 Dogs and 6 Cats Received, 32 Dogs and 3 Cats Placed

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 26, 2011

more pets can be seen online at

athenshumanesociety.org

Stephanie Dotson’s mixed-media works are on display at Trace Gallery through Feb. 4.

Digital Media Grounds Demo (The Loft Art Supplies) A representative will demonstrate how to apply computer printed images onto any project surface. Registration required. Feb. 17, 6–7 p.m. FREE! 706-548-5334 English as a Second Language (Pinewoods Hispanic Community Library) Classes every week! Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:30–8 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3708 Forest Yoga (Five Points Yoga) Deepen your breath, work your core, strengthen your body and connect with your spirit. Wednesdays, 8 p.m. $10/class. 706-355-3114 Health and Wellness Classes (Athens Community Council on Aging) Athens Community Council on Aging hosts senior-friendly Zumba, Line Dancing, Yoga, Tai Chi and more!

Go online for a complete schedule.

706-549-4850, www.accaging.org Intro to Computers (Madison County Library) Alisa Claytor, computer specialist, offers an Introduction to Computers series.

Three weekly meetings, and you may attend one per week or all three. Preregistration required. 706-795-5597.

Tuesdays, 2–3 p.m. or 7–8 p.m.

Wednesdays, 11 a.m.–12 p.m.

Introduction to Excel (ACC Library, Education Technology Center) Registration required. Feb. 3, 10–11:30 a.m. 706-613-3650 Introduction to the Internet (Oconee County Library) Class that covers Internet service providers, web browsers, useful sites and Internet safety. Call to register. Feb. 17, 7–8:30 p.m.

FREE! 706-769-3950 Introduction to Word (ACC Library, Education Technology Center) Learn the basics of word processing. Registration required.

Feb. 24, 7 p.m. FREE! 706-6133650, ext. 354 Iyengar Yoga (StudiO) Focusing on strength, flexibility, stamina and balance. Tuesdays, 6:45–8:15 p.m. $10/class, $56/series. www.athens omtownyoga.com Laugh-a-Yoga (Mind Body Institute) Laugh your stress away.

Fourth Friday, 5:30–6:30 p.m. FREE! 706-475-7329, mbiprograms@ armc.org Maintain, Prevent and Transform (Athens Yoga Therapeutics) On-going Hatha style Yoga class with instructor Kerry Fulford. 706-207-5881, kerry@ athensyogatherapeutics.com, www.athensyogatherapeutics.com Mama-Baby Yoga Bonding (Full Bloom Center) Fussy babies and tired mamas welcome! 10 a.m.

class for babies 8–18 months old and 11 a.m. class for babies 1–8 months old. Fridays, 10 a.m. $14, $60 (6 weeks). 706-353-3373 Musikgarten Early Childhood Classes (UGA School of Music) Music classes for toddlers ages 2–4. Check website for details. Through Mar. 7. $70.

706-542-2894, ugacms@uga.edu, www.uga.edu/ugacms/early childhood.html New Horizon Music Classes (UGA School of Music) Beginning band, intermediate band, beginning orchestra and piano classes for adults age 50+. No prior music experience needed! FREE! Call 706542-2894 to register.

Nia (Sangha Yoga Studio) Gain muscle definition and strength in this dance class with Valerie Beard.

Mondays, 7:15–8:30 p.m. Tuesdays, 9–10 a.m. Thursdays, 10:30–11:30 a.m. www.healingartscentre.net Partner Yoga (Sangha Yoga Studio) Come stretch, breathe and connect with a partner, friend or family member. Feb. 12, 2–3:30 p.m. $25 (adv.), $30. 706-613-1143, www.healingartscentre.net Pheonix Rising Yoga Therapy (Sangha Yoga Studio) Six-week program meeting every Thursday.

No experience necessary. Preregistration required. 7:15–8:45 p.m. $65 (6 weeks). 706-613-1143, www.healingartscentre.net Postpartum Yoga and Journaling Group (Full Bloom Center) Meditation, yoga, art time and group circle. Bring your own journal. Must be 6 weeks postpartum. Registration required.

Thursdays in Feb., 4–5:30 p.m. $65 (w/childcare), $55. 706-353-3373, www.fullbloomparent.com Prenatal Yoga (Full Bloom Center) Get ready for birth and beyond. Thursdays, 5:45 p.m., Fridays, 12:15 p.m. $14, $60 (6 classes).

706-353-3373, www.fullbloom parent.com Rise & Shine Yoga (Five Points Yoga) Get your shine on with early morning flow yoga. Tuesdays & Thursdays, 5:45–6:45 a.m. $10 (Drop-In). 706-355-3114 Senior Leadership Academy (Athens Community Council on Aging) This Athens Community Council on Aging initiative provides older adults with an opportunity to build relationships with fellow participants and explore the current issues in our community. Course topics include business, human services, government, health care and more. The program will run for eight consecutive Thursdays, Feb. 3–Mar. 24. Registration ends Jan.

28. $80. 706-549-4850 ext. 2030. www.accaging.com Survival Spanish (ACC Library) Instruction in basic Spanish vocabulary and conversation. Ages 18 & up. Pre-registration required.

Through Mar. 27, Sundays, 3 p.m. (beginner) & 4 p.m. (intermediate).

FREE! 706-613-3650, refdesk@ athenslibrary.org Tango Lessons (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) Every Tuesday with Clint and Shelly. 4–6 p.m. (Private Lessons), 6–7 p.m. (Intermediate Class) 7–8 p.m. (Beginner Class), $10 (group class). cvunderwood@ charter.net, praticiabellscott@ charter.net Tribal Basics Bellydance (Floorspace, 160 Tracy St.) Wednesdays, 7–8 p.m. www.floor spaceathens.com Turkish Tribal Bellydance (Floorspace, 160 Tracy St.) A 6-week session for experienced dancers.

Thursdays, $12 (drop-in), $60 (6 classes). 706-372-1833, christyfricks@gmail.com UGA Tango Club (UGA Tate Center, Room 311) Evening classes for beginners and advanced students. Thursdays, Beginning 6:10 p.m., Intermediate/Advanced 7:10 p.m.$30 (per semester), $20 (UGA Community). athenstangoclub@ gmail.com Vinyasa Flow Yoga (Floorspace) Daytime flow classes. Tuesdays, 8:45 a.m. Thursdays, 12:15 p.m. $6–$12 (suggested donation). thebodyeclectic@rocketmail.com, www.floorspaceathens.com Weekly Meditation (Athens Insights, 179 Woodward St. #7) Providing a calm and open environment in which people can experience new cultural and religious ideas.

Wednesdays, 8 p.m.–9 p.m. FREE! athensinsights@gmail.com Winter Clay and Glass Classes (Good Dirt) Now registering for classes in wheel-thrown pottery, glass fusing and slumping, and other special projects. All levels for youth and adults. See complete schedule online. 706-355-3161. www.gooddirt.net Women Writing Their Lives (160 Tracy St.) A 12-week course designed to motivate and inspire women to tell their unique stories.

Appropriate for beginners and those who would like the support of a group. Every Thursday, January–March, 7–8:15 p.m. $50/ month. thektp@gmail.com, holdingwomanspace.com Women’s Self Defense Classes (American Black Belt Academy) One rape or sexual assault occurs every two minutes in

the U.S. Learn what you can do to protect yourself. Go online or call to register. 706-549-1671, www.americanblackbelt.org Yoga (Rubber Soul Yoga Revolution Studio) For full schedule, go online.

Daily, $5 (donation). www.rubbersoulyoga.com Yoga & The 7 Sacred Centers (Five Points Yoga) Learn how the 7 main chakras affect the body and how knowing the body’s energy. Jan. 29, 2–4 p.m. $30. 706-254-0200 Yoga Crawlers (Full Bloom Center) For active babies 8–18 months. Every Wednesday. 10:30 a.m. $14. 706-353-3373, www. fullbloomparent.com Yoga Teacher Training (Vastu School of Yoga) Vastu School of Yoga is accepting applications for its winter/spring training session. Apply before the first session on Jan. 29.

561-723-6172, lconglose@hotmail. com, globalvastuyoga.com Yoga: Maintain, Prevent, Transform (Leathers Building) Hatha-style yoga in a small, comfortable setting with instructor Kerry Fulford. Tuesdays & Thursdays, 5:45–7:45 p.m. $60 (6 classes) 706207-5881 Yoshukai Karate (AKF Itto Martial Arts) Learn Yoshukai Karate, a traditional hard Okinawan style. FREE! www.athensy.com Youth and Parents Drum Circle (Floorspace) Percussion class! Bring a drum if you have one!

Every second Friday of the month.

4–4:45 p.m. $5–$10 (suggested donation). christyfricks@gmail.com, www.floorspaceathens.com ZumbAtomic for Toddlers (Whole: Mind. Body. Art.) Wednesdays, 10 a.m. $6 (for first child), $3 (for each additional sibling). 706-410-0134, www.whole mindbodyart.com

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. mentor@athensbgca.com BikeAthens Bike Recycling (Chase Street Warehouses) Join BikeAthens volunteers as they clean and repair donated bicylces for local service agencies. BikeAthens is also seeking donations of used kids’ and adult bikes in any condition.

Sundays (2–4:30 p.m.), Mondays & Wednesdays (6–8:30 p.m.) FREE! www.bikeathens.com Blood Drive (Red Cross Donor Center) Give the gift of life! Call to make an appointment today. 706546-0681, 1-800-RED-CROSS, www.redcrossblood.org Donate a Book (Oconee County Library) Children under 10 are encouraged to donate a book from the Oconee Library wish list to the permanent children’s collection in honor of the Oconee Library’s birthday. 706-769-3950

Georgia Museum of Art Volunteers (Georgia Museum of Art) Volunteers needed to help staff the newly renovated GMOA shop. Assist in creating store displays, ringing up sales and basic customer service. 706-542-0450, millera@uga.edu, www.uga.edu/ gamuseum New Mentor Training (Goodwill Career Center) Attend new mentor training and start making a difference in the life of a youth 12-17 years old. Tuesdays, 5:30–7 p.m.

FREE! 706-433-0737, goodguides@ ging.org Preparing Dinner for the Residents (Athens Area Homeless Shelter) Volunteer to make a meal for the women and children living at Athens Area Homeless Shelter. Call to reserve a night! Daily, 5:30–6:30 p.m. 706-354-0423 Project Safe Volunteers (Various Locations) Take part in the movement to end domestic violence by becoming a mentor, donating a meal or volunteering at the thrift store. 706-542-0922, www.projectsafe.org Thrift Sale Fundraiser (OCAF) Seeking surplus furniture, toys, clothing, books, tools, electronics, antiques, etc. All donations are tax deductible and proceeds will benefit local art education. Accepting donations through Mar. 12. 706769-4565, info@ocaf.com

KIDSTUFF Homework Helpers (East Athens Community Center) UGA students tutor your children and help them get assignments finished. Daily, 3:30–5:30 p.m. FREE! 706-6133657, www.clarke.public.lib.ga.us Knee-High Naturalists (Sandy Creek Nature Center) A program of age-appropriate nature exploration, animal encounters, hikes and crafts.

For parents and children. Alternating Wednesdays, 3:30–4:30 p.m. $13.

706-613-3515, www.sandycreek naturecenter.com Little League Tryouts (Holland Youth Sports Complex) For ages 4–14. Register online to play spring baseball and softball. Feb. 19–21.

FREE! www.athenslittleleague.org One-to-One Learning (Lay Park) Pratice reading, writing and math with the librarian and UGA student volunteers. For ages 6 and up.

Daily, 3:30–5:30 p.m. FREE! 706613-3667 One-to-One Reading Program (East Athens Community Center) Read with the librarian and other volunteers. Get them all to yourself! For ages 6 and up. Daily, 3:30–5:30 p.m., FREE! 706-613-3593 Red Cross Babysitting Course (Memorial Park) A Red Cross certified instructor will guide participants through the basic leadership, safety and supervisory skills needed to babysit. Ages 11-

15. Register by Feb. 9. Feb. 12, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. $45. 706-613-3580 Sweet Pea Club (State Botanical Garden) A club for young nature lovers featuring puppet shows, storytelling, learning games, nature crafts and garden explorations. Ages 3–5. Registration required. Through Feb. 3, Thursdays, 9:45–11 a.m. $22. www.uga.edu/botgarden Yoga Sprouts (Memorial Park) Fun, playful yoga for kids ages 2 and up. Now registering! Call for information on sessions, fees and scholarships. Tuesdays. 706-353-3373 ZumbAtomic for Kids (Whole: Mind. Body. Art.) Mondays, 5:15– 6:15 p.m. $6 (for first child), $3 (for each additional sibling). www.wholemindbodyart.com

SUPPORT Alcoholics Anonymous (Various Locations) If you want to drink, that’s your business. If you want to stop, we can help. 706-5430436, www.athensaa.com Emotional Abuse Support Group (Call for location) Demeaning behavior 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 12step program open to anyone with a desire to become well emotionally.

Sundays, 4–5 p.m. 706-202-7463, www.emotionsanonymous.org Mental Health Support Group (St. Mary’s Hospital) Meets in the lobby conference room.

Thursdays, 6:30–8 p.m. 706-7835706, www.athensmentalhealth.org Overeaters Anonymous (Various Locations) 12-step meetings for compulsive eaters. All ages.

Mondays, 5:30 p.m. at Nuçi’s Space.

Thursdays, 7 p.m. at St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church. Saturdays, 10:30 a.m. at Princeton United Methodist Church. 404-771-8971, www.oa.org PTSD Support Group Local support group now forming for family members of soldiers and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Call 770-725-4527 for more information.

Sapph.Fire The newly formed social, support and volunteer organization for lesbian and bisexual women of color. Ages 21 & up. Join Sapph. fire on Downelink. Email sapph. fire@yahoo.com to learn about the next meeting.

Survive and Revive (Call for location) Domestic violence support group. Dinner begins at 6 p.m. and group at 6:30 p.m. Children are welcome for supper and childcare is provided during group. Second and fourth Tuesday of the month in Clarke County. First and third Monday of the month in Madison County. 6–8 p.m. Project Safe: 706543-3331

Join the McCommUnists Wednesday, February 2 40 Watt Club

ART AROUND TOWN ACC Library (2025 Baxter St.) Drawings by University of Georgia teacher Kate Windley’s students.

Through January.

Amici Italian Café (233 E. Clayton St.) Paintings of downtown Athens by Jamie Calkin. Through January.

Antiques and Jewels (290 N. MIlledge Ave.) New work by Jim StipeMaas, Mary Porter, Lana Mitchell, Greg Benson, Taylor Dubeau and Judy Dudley O’Donnell and other Georgia artists.

Athens Academy (1281 Spartan Dr.) Group show featuring work by the School Street Studio Potters, Scott Belville, Cindy Farley, O.C. Carlisle, Alice Pruitt, Leslie Moody and Larry McDougald. Through Feb. 11.

ATHICA (160 Tracy St. Unit 4) “Taking Part” is an exhibit of participatory art projects featuring six artists with varied approaches. While all of the artists, Michael Lease, Lori Hepner, Heather Freeman, Rosemary Kate Jesionowski, Hope Hilton and Brian Hitselberger, incorporate public input in their artmaking process, the final outcome relies on the artist’s involvment. Through Mar. 6.

Aurum Studio (125 E. Clayton St.) Group show featuring paintings by Gwen Nagel, Scott Pope and Karen Kanemasu and sculptures by Noah Saunders.

Through February.

Big City Bread Cafe (393 N. Finley St.) Acrylic and enamel works by Charley Seagraves. Through February.

Dawg Gone Good BBQ (224 W. Hancock Ave.) “Musicians Emoting” features emotional and expressive photographs by Barbara Hutson. Through January.

Espresso Royale Caffe (297 E. Broad St.) Mixed media works by Leah Purvis and Sarah T. Through January.

Farmington Depot Gallery (1011 Salem Rd., Farmington) Owned and staffed by 16 artists, the gallery exhibits paintings, sculpture, folk art, ceramics, fine furniture and more. Permanent collection artists include Phillip Goulding, Leigh Ellis, Peter Loose, Susan Nees and more.

Five Star Day Café (229 E. Broad St.) Mixedmedia photography by Jami Gilstrap and shadowbox collages by Alexei Gural. Through February.

Flicker Theatre & Bar (263 W. Washington St.) Paintings by Emmanuel Taati. Through January.

Flight Tapas and Bar (225 N. Lumpkin St.) New works by Mandy Elias. Through February.

Good Dirt (510 B Thomas St.) The gallery features hand-built and wheel-thrown pieces by various ceramic artists and potters including Rob Sutherland, Caryn Van Wagtendonk, Crisha Yantis and Mike Klapthor.

Hampton Fine Art Gallery (115 E. Broad St., Greensboro) Electic collection of work from master pastel artist Cameron Hampton. Through February.

Hotel Indigo (500 College Ave.) Group show featuring Nash Hogan, Dena Zilber, Charlie Key and Margaret Schreiber.

ON THE STREET 3rd Annual Chilly Dawg 5K (Sandy Creek Park) Get a healthy start to 2011 when you register for this 5K run/walk. Proceeds benefit the College of Family and Consumer Sciences Alumni Association and the ARCH Foundation of UGA. Race starts at 9 a.m. on Jan. 29. $25 entry fee, call 706-542-3386, www.active.com

AthFest Compilation CD Accepting submissions for 2011 AthFest compilation CD. Open only to Athens-based bands. Submission form available at www.athfest.com.

Only one song is allowed per form.

Music must be on standard audio CD or CD-R and be delivered in person to the AthFest office on the third floor of the Fred Building, located at 220 College Ave. Deadline is Feb 1.

Mardi Gras 10K (Terrapin Beer Co.) After completing the 10K, enjoy

FREE TATTOOS

BRING 3 FRIENDS, GET 1 TATTOO FREE! Expires 2-9-11

“Workers of the World, Unite!” www.athensbusinessrocks.com

Jittery Joe’s Coffee (1230 S. Millledge Ave.) Mixed-media photography by Jami Gilstrap. Through February. • Handpainted silks by René Shoemaker.

Just Pho…and More (1063 Baxter St.) New work by artist Nina Barnes. Through January. • New work by artist Antonio Caruso. Through February.

Lamar Dodd School of Art (Gallery 307) Group show featuring the Cortona faculty. Through Jan. 28. • (Gallery 101) “A Year on the Hill” features photography by Jim Fiscus and Chris Bilheimer.

Through Feb. 11.

Madison County Library (1315 Highway 98 West, Danielsville) Face jugs and other pottery by Jerry “yardbird” Yarbrough. Through January.

Mama’s Boy (197 Oak St.) New acrylics by Brian Brookes. Through January. • Artwork by Hannah Jones. Through February.

Monroe Art Guild (205 S. Broad St., Monroe) Winter art show featuring work by contestant winners from all over Georgia. Through February.

OCAF (34 School St., Watkinsville) Exhibition of black and white photography by Dr. Roy Ward. Through Feb. 9.

Republic Salon (312 E. Broad St.) An exhibit featuring your favorite animals in embroidery and print mixed-media works by Lea Purvis. Through January.

Speakeasy (269 E. Broad St.) New paintings by Sarah Nguyen. Through February.

State Botanical Garden of Georgia (2450 Millege Ave.) “Art Naturale” features natural-themed paintings, photographs, pottery, textiles and jewelry by 26 artists from the Madison Artists Guild. Through Feb. 27.

Ten Pins Tavern (2451 Jefferson Rd.) Screen prints, etchings, monoprints and drawings from young artist Gregory Stone, and mixed media works

by Clarke County Middle School teacher Luke Durkish. Through January.

The Grit (199 Prince Ave.) Handmade recycled clothing and wearable art for men, women and children by Gretchen Elsner. Through January.

Town 220 (Madison) “Aislin’s Bouquet from the Garden of the Fall,” an exhibit of various works inspired by gardens. Featuring more than a dozen local artists, including Greg Benson, Andy Cherewick, Dana Downs, Robert Lowery, Melin Foscue Miller, Masakatsu Nakagawa, Marshall Reddoch and Lamar Wood. Through January.

Trace Gallery (160 Tracy St., 2A) New mixed media works by Stephanie Dotson. Through Feb. 4.

Transmetropolitan (145 E. Clayton St.) New drawings, paintings and collage by Emmanuel Taati. Through January. • Vibrant, mixed media shadowboxes by Sophie Howell. Through January.• Photography by Tom Nicks. Through January.

Visionary Growth Gallery (2400 Booger Hill Rd., Danielsville) “Psycollagraphica” features photography and collage by artists J. Phillip White, John Santerineross, Alexei Gural and Jillian Guarco.

Through Jan. 31.

White Tiger Gourmet Food & Chocolates (217 Hiawasee Ave.) New watercolors by Celia Brooks. Through January.

Call 706-549-0190

8OO Oglethorpe Ave. Athens

some brews. Proceeds benefit Bigger Vision Community Shelter and the Stable Foundation. Mar. 5, 10 a.m. www.mardigras10kathens.org Summer Job Fair (Lay Park) Don’t get left high and dry this summer!

Find a job poolside at a community center, in a canoe at a youth camp or select from hundreds of seasonal positions available through ACC Leisure Services. Feb. 12, 10 a.m.noon. 706-613-3800, www.athensclarkecounty.com f

Now Pre-Leasing Homes for Fall!

Property Management

706-548-0580

www.deklerealty.com JANUARY 26, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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comics

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 26, 2011

reality check Matters Of The Heart And Loins I have a bit of an issue with my living arrangements for next year. I currently have three awesome roommates: two of them are graduating and moving home next year, so it’s just going to be me and the other; let’s call her Gwen. Well, Gwen has a cute little dog and a lot of money, and I don’t. Our rent at the moment is affordable but without our third and fourth roommates it’s not affordable for me—which she doesn’t understand and can’t fathom.

Also, she keeps all her stuff at our place (nothing at all at her parents’ anymore) and has tons of stuff in her room. She plans on taking those tons and moving them into the third bedroom (and probably the fourth, too) next year. Also, she refuses to live in a place without a fence for her dog. The problem is that I can’t pay and don’t want to pay hundreds to thousands of dollars extra so that she can store her crap aimlessly in the apartment and let her dog out without having to walk it.

Also, utilities increase, and she doesn’t see that as an issue either. Basically, she’s living in a fantasy world. I just want to go to school, come home and study, go to work, hang out with friends and pay an affordable amount of rent, and she doesn’t get that. Our quaint little garden apartment is feeling very stressed. Help!

I don’t really know how I can explain this to her again.

Garden Apartment Renter without Green You said “three” awesome roommates.

That means that you and Gwen are friends, right? Well, tell your friend that you can’t pay half of a four-bedroom place, and that unless she wants to pay three quarters of both rent and bills, you’re going to have to move.

(Incidentally, if she does agree to this, get it in writing.)

There’s no reason to be stressed out; you simply can’t do it. So, give her the option of seeking a two-bedroom with you, and if she doesn’t want to do it, then move out on your own.

I am in my late-20s and single, have fallen in love several times before (four to be exact) and have had one serious relationship in the past that had to end because we went long distance due to my grad school (and that caused more complications, etc.).

The thing is, I have been single for almost four years now but don’t seem motivated to date or “search for love.” I haven’t had any physical/sexual relationships for the same amount of time. I have a perfectly normal life otherwise, a good job that I like, pretty occupying hobbies and a great social life, all of which keep me pretty busy, too. I was so casual about this that I did not even notice anything in this, but somehow this stands out to my long-term friends, and it’s becoming increasingly more common that I hear at parties, “I have never seen you go around with anyone” or “Why are you not dating?”

My close friend feels it could be my somewhat big ego that has convinced me that the “deserving” guy hasn’t come yet… But I know this is not entirely true because I feel like the “search/want” itself is missing. I really lost interest/motivation when I was in grad school for two years, which was very demanding and grueling emotionally… but that has all changed now and I have great job, life, etc., but my disinterest has continued.

I do get occasionally somewhat upset with thoughts like “I am gonna die single and spinster” and all that, but it’s not too common. I am just voicing this to know if you, being an “outsider,” see something that I am not seeing? Am I missing something when people around me feel like I am wasting my youth, especially when I do get noticed in the club/bar scene? (I feel so, too, but don’t feel really motivated to do anything about it). Thanks.

Single Since a While

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If you really are OK with being single, then you shouldn’t worry about it. From what you say in your letter, it sounds like you have plenty of motivation to do other things, like work, socialize and have hobbies, so I’m guessing you aren’t depressed. Do you have emotional connections with other people? Are you close to your family? Do you feel like you have a good support system in general? If you think you might have some emotional problems that you aren’t dealing with, then go talk to somebody.

I just got dumped. Out of the blue. And I have no idea what happened. The girl and I had been dating for about seven months. We both went home for Christmas break, talked every day on the phone, exchanged texts, exchanged gifts, and then we come back to school and boom! Dumped.

I had thought there was a problem back in November, but when I tried to talk to her about it, she acted like everything was fine. She has been distant since then but I chalked it up to stress or my own paranoia because she kept acting like things were fine. When I asked her why she was breaking up with me, she said she just didn’t feel the same. I want to know why she didn’t just do this before and save us both the trouble. Any ideas?

New Year, Newly Single My guess is she stayed with you through the holidays either because a) she thought it would be cruel to break up right before Christmas; or b) because she didn’t want to be single on New Year’s because it would be too depressing, or possibly c) both.

Now the holidays are over, and she’s looking for a new start to the new year. It’s important to realize that your instinct was right, that you knew something was wrong for a couple of months, and that you did what you could to try and make things right. And now you can get a new start as well. Don’t look at it as an end, NYNS; look at it as a beginning.

AFFILIATED Event Info:

Sunday Jan. 30, 2011 3:00 pm

MIrror Mob: Come take part in a Unique Group Photo Bring your own mirror!

Create Art - Create Opportunity

This event produced in conjunction withlocal business Deal Mobs.

Photos will be available for purchase during the exhibit run as a fundraiser for a small business incubator.

Details TBA. Free!

Friday Feb. 11, 2011 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.

OPEN LINES: sponsored by:

A VOX Reading Series Event

Reading of original works by local writers and UGA MFA Creative Writing candidates. $ 3-$6 Suggested Donation (but no one turned away for lack of funds.)

Jyl Inov

JANUARY 26, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

27

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 1BR/1BA Normaltown in-house apt. CHAC, W/D, DW, wireless, ceiling fans, HWflrs., near busline, water/sewer/trash incl.

N/S grad. student/professional pref’d. Dog possible. Avail. 2/1. $550/mo. (706) 227-9116.

1BR/1BA apartment. Great in–town, Boulevard n’hood.

Walk everywhere. Water & garbage paid. $490-$525/mo.

Check out www.boulevard proper tymanagement. com or call (706) 548-9797.

1BR $499/mo., 2BR $549/ mo., 3BR $699/mo.! Huge apartments located 3 mi. from campus & Dwntn. Pre-leasers will receive 1st mo. free if moving after Jan.! Restrictions apply. On bus line & pet friendly.

Call us! (706) 549-6254.

4 or 5 BR/4BA, lg. rooms, W/D. Cedar Shoals Dr. $950/mo. plus deposit. (706) 296-1506 or (706) 742-8555.

1BR basement apt. in 5 Pts. for quiet N/S. New appliances & carpeting. Utils. incl. Deposit & references req’d. $450/mo.

Avail. Feb. 1. (706) 613-7307.

1BR apartment for $475/ mo. 2BR apartment starting at $700/mo. 3BR apartment starting at $1000/mo. All close to campus! Howard Properties (706) 546-0300.

3BR/3BA, best Dwntn. location.

New. 1 mi. from Arch. Stainless, HWflrs., tile, covered porches.

Off-street parking. W/D incl.

Avail. Fall 2011. $1500/mo.

Aaron (706) 207-2957.

4BR/2.5BA townhouse off Cedar Shoals. On bus route. Pets welcome. Avail. now. Only $1000/ mo. Aaron (706) 207-2957.

Avail. now & pre-leasing for Fall!

Total electric. Eastside. Must see. 5BR/3BA. Trash & lawn paid for. Modern/huge rooms.

Approx. 2800 sq. ft. $995/mo.

(706) 621-0077.

Dwntn., 3 blocks from N. Campus. 2BR in historic bldg.

Out of noise & bar scene. Call George at (706) 340-0987.

flagpole classifieds Reach Over 30,000 Readers Every Week!

Business Services Real Estate Music For Sale

Employment Vehicles Messages Personals

Best deal in town! El Dorado Apar tments in Nor maltown a re a . $ 6 7 5 / m o . 2 B R / 1 B A , pets allowed w/ deposit.

Multiple units avail. Joiner & Associates, (706) 549-7371, www.gojoiner.com.

Westside condos, 2BR/2BA, $550/mo. Eastside quadraplex, 2BR/2BA, $500/mo. & 2BR/1BA, $475/mo. Eastside duplex, 2BR/1BA & FP, $475/mo. Call McWaters Realty, (706) 3532700 or cell (706) 540-1529.

Downtown. University Tower, across from N. campus, corner of Lumpkin & Broad. Lg. 1BR/1BA. Avail. June 1, 2011. $750/mo. Call (706) 255-3743.

Commercial Property

Dwntn., 1BR/1BA flat, $465/mo. Units avail. for immediate move-in & pre-leasing for Aug. 2011.

Water, gas, trash pick-up incl. On-site laundry. Joiner Management, (706) 3536868.

Downtown loft apartment.

144 E Clayton St. 2BR/1 lg. BA, exposed brick wall in LR, avail. immediately. Won’t last! Call Staci, (706) 296-1863 or (706) 425-4048.



12,000 sq. ft. 2-stor y brick building for sale or lease. Loft apartment on 2nd floor, 3BR/2BA, 3 retail/ office units on ground floor.

Contact (706) 783-4665 or snpathens@gmail.com.

Athens executive suites.

Offices available in historic Dwntn. bldg. w/ on–site parking. All utils., inter net & janitorial incl. Single or multiple offices avail. Call Stacy (706) 425-4048 or (706) 296-1863.

Efficiency apar tment. 1BR w/ private entrance, partially furnished. On Hill St., utils. incl., 1 mi. to UGA, pets OK, $500/mo. Call (706) 255-0726.

Downtown space/business w/ 2 parking spots. 250 W Broad St #108, zoned C-D, across from UGA. Ter ms neg. for business. Asking $249K. Call Jim Paine, (706) 372-7300.

Free rent 1st month! No pet fee! 2BR/2BA apartments close to Dwntn. & 3BR/2BA duplexes in wooded n’hood avail. W/D, DW in all units. Easy access to loop. (706) 548-2522. www. dovetailmanagement.com.

E a s t s i d e o ff i c e s . 1060 Gaines School Rd. Rent 1200 sq. ft. $1200/mo., 750 sq. ft. $900/mo., 450 sq. ft. $600/mo., 150 sq. ft. $300/ mo. (706) 546-1615 or athenstownproperties.com.



Loft, 640 sq. ft. at Chase Park artist complex.

Built out new in 2009, granite, ceiling fans, washer, storage room. Nice! Nathan, cell: (478) 290-6283, work: (478) 2748141.

O ff i c e s p a c e i n 5 P t s . / S .

M i l l e d g e Av e . $ 1 0 0 0 / m o . , incl. all utils. except phone.

3 rooms. 575 sq. ft. Private entr y. Kitchen, bathrooms shared w/ law office. (706) 353-7272.

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

Retail, bar, or restaurant for lease at Homewood Shopping Center. 3000 sq. ft. Call Bryan Austin at (706) 353-1039.

Unique 3200 sq. ft. space at Chase Park artist complex.

40x80 ft. open space ready for entrepreneur to bring unique talents. Zoned E-O. Live/work optional. Nathan, (478) 2906283. Owner financing avail. $129,000.

Condos For Sale Dwntn. University Tower on Broad across from N. Campus.

1BR/1BA, 700 sq. ft., $84,500.

Agents welcome at 3%.

Call (706) 255-3743.

Duplexes For Rent 1BR/1BA duplex on Oconee St. near Dwntn. & UGA. HWflrs., lg. porch & back yd., shared laundry center, really nice, $498 plus deposit. Call Drew, (706) 202-2712.

Avail. 2/1. 2BR/1BA duplex on Westside. 171 Nicole Cir. W/D conn. FP, CHAC, fenced yd. $425/mo. + $425 deposit. (706) 498-4733.

East Athens. Great 2BR/1BA duplex. On city busline. Fresh paint, W/D, DW, range, fridge, trash & yd. service incl. Pets OK. Avail. now! $550/mo. Call Mike (877) 740-1514 toll free.

Houses for Rent $600/mo. 2BR/2BA or 3BR/1BA. 115/121 E. Carver Dr. Fenced–in yd. Tile & HWflrs. CHAC, W/D hookups, DW. Pets welcome.

Avail. now! (706) 614-8335. $650/mo. Great deal! 3BR/2BA renovated bungalow 1.2 miles from Arch. Call (706) 2550659. Photos, map & info at www.1596eastbroad.blogspot. com.

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

PLACE AN AD

HEART OF NORMALTOWN 2 Bedroom Apartments

675/mo

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 26, 2011

1BR cottage. 1/4 mi. from campus. 100 yrs. old.

HWflrs. Big kitchen. All appls incl. Front/back porch. No pets, N/S. $650/mo. Avail. now. (770) 995-6788.

125 Susan Cir., Winterville.

3BR/1.5BA, dining room, laundr y room, carpor t & fenced back yd. $750/mo. + deposit. Call (706) 207-0935 or (706) 369-9679.

1BR/1BA, 1277 W Hancock. $500/mo. HWflrs., pets welcome, call Paul at (706) 714-9607.

2BR/1BA. 1 block from G r e e n w a y. E x t r a c l e a n . $525/mo. W/D hookups, fridge. Lg. back yd. & garden area. Seeking responsible tenants. Avail. now! (706) 713-1184.

2BR/2BA perfect Dwntn. l o c a t i o n . N e w. 1 m i . f ro m Arch. Stainless, HWflrs., tile, covered porches. Off-street parking. W/D incl. Avail. Fall 2011. $1050/mo. Aaron (706) 207-2957.

3BR/2BA house in great n’hood. Close to medical school campus/Normaltown.

HW & tile flrs. Fresh paint inside/outside. Huge landscaped/fenced yd. All new appliances. House is a must-see. Call Helen Martin, (706) 540-2010.

3BR/2BA house close to campus. Quiet street off College Cir., lg. yd. w/ deck, garage. HWflrs., appliances, W/D, CHAC. 1 mi. from campus. Avail. Aug 1. $865/ mo. Call (706) 247-3708.

3BR/1BA in Winterville.

HWflrs., front yd., small screened-in porch, wooded lot. Quiet n’hood. Avail. now.

Pets OK. $675/mo. Tenant pays utils. (706) 410-5239.

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

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

$775/mo. Blocks from UGA & Dwntn. Athens. 3BD/1BA, totally remodeled, tall ceilings, HWflrs., tile, W/D, front porch. 500 Willow St. Avail. 1/1/11. Owner/Agent, call Robin (770) 265-6509.

Free Internet • Free Cable Free Water • Free Hot Water

Eldorado Apartments gojoiner.com

1494 Prince Ave. • 706-549-7371

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

Hamilton & Associates 706-613-9001

3BR/2.5BA. Eastside near Walmart. Quiet street, fenced yd., HWflrs. downstairs, large BR. Sublease now per room or start lease 7/1. $1050/mo + dep. (706) 543-5497.

New 4BR/4BA houses!

Great Dwntn. location! Lg. BRs, tile, HWflrs., $1900/ mo., avail. 8/1. w w w. newageproper tiesathens. com, (706) 713-0626.

3BR/1.5BA house w/ central HVAC, HWflrs., carport, lg. fenced back yd. on quiet culde-sac off Oglethorpe Ave. Pets OK w/ deposit, W/D incl., landlord mows lawn. Avail.

March 1. $900/mo. Contact Jared at (706) 338-9019 or athfest08@gmail.com.

Pre-leasing houses for UGA students. 4BR, 3BR, 2BR, 1BR. Close to UGA & Dwntn. Lowest rent. hathawaypropertiesathens. com. (706) 714-4486.

4 9 G a i l D r. 3 - 4 B R / 1 . 5 B A .

HWflrs! CHAC. Fenced yd.

Pets OK. No pet fees! Other homes avail. $850/mo. (706) 254-2569.

4BR/4BA. New, Dwntn. 1 mi. from Arch. Stainless, HWflrs., tile, covered porches. Choose from multiple homes. W/D incl. Avail. Fall. $1950/mo.

Aaron (706) 207-2957.

5 Pts. Leasing for fall. 1, 2, 3 & 4 BR houses & apts. See at bondrealestate.org. Owner/ broker Herbert Bond Realty & Investment. (706) 224-8002.

Artist studio/garden cottage.

Ve r y p r i v a t e , q u i e t , l o v e l y 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. $ 7 4 0 /mo. incl. w ater & al l appl. Avail. March 15! Pls. call (706) 769-0205 evening, (706) 207-5175. Leave msg.

Cute 3BR/1BA house.

Fenced-in back yd. Pets OK. Walk to campus & Dwntn.

Perfect for students or couple. $1000/mo. Avail. now. Call Paige, (706) 202-7890.

Rent/sale. $550/mo., $99,999.

Adorable 2BR cottage. Recently renovated. New kitchen. LR, DR, front porch, dog pen. New heat pump. Great location, busline, UGA, Dwntn. (706) 543-5604.

Sell your auto w/ Flagpole Classifieds.

Now w/ online pics! Go to www.flagpole.com today!

Houses for Sale Beautiful Athens Victorian on historic Dearing St. 3BR/2BA, separate studio/ office bldg. Wrap-around porch w/ swing. $399,900.

Visit 421dearingst.blogspot. com, call (706) 208-8242, 421dearingst@gmail.com.

Land for Sale Grow your own. 3.4 acres.

5 miles out on Tallassee Rd. Jackson Co. Native Am. spring, 50 gpm cold water. Aquaponic/ trout feasible. $79,000. Call Wilson, Athenstown Properties, (706) 202-0948.

Own 20 acres, only $129/mo. $13,900. Near growing El Paso, TX. Safest city in America!

Low down, no credit checks, owner financing. Free map/ pictures. (866) 257-4555, www. sunsetranches.com (AAN CAN).

Pre-Leasing

Completely renovated 2BR/1BA craftsman cottage w/ separate sunroom located on peaceful woodland lot off Tallassee Rd. $750/mo. + dep. Jim, (706) 247-3386.

5 Pts. 2BR/1BA. Great location.

Great for grad student. Walk to campus. W/D, CHAC, nice patio. Pets OK. $650-$700/mo.

Avail. 8/1. Call (706) 369-2908

For rent/sale. Wakefield ranch, 3BR/2BA, garage, appliances, fenced yd., deck, blinds, fans, FP. Rent, $900/mo. plus deposit. Sell, $115,900. Call (706) 255-9570.

Adorable 3BR/2BA, close to campus. New master BA w/ double sink. HWflrs., fenced back yd. W/D, DW, CHAC. Avail. 8/1. $1250/mo. (706) 3692908.

Great house. 2BR/1BA. $695/mo. 75% off 1st mo. rent! Great location & rent.

HWflrs., big sun deck, W/D, micro, fridge/freezer. (404) 368-8043, p@mba.ms. http:// w w w. re n t a l s . c o m / G e o r g i a / Athens/r1125042/

Awesome Victorian 4BR/2.5BA house. 1/2 mi. from campus.

Huge rooms, HWflrs., 2 LRs., patio, high ceilings, DW, W/D, CHAC. Pets OK. Avail. 8/1. $1850/mo. (706) 369-2908.

Homewood Hills brick ranch.

3BR/2BA, LR, DR, den, gas F P, f e n c e d b a c k y d . A l l appliances incl. W/D. $950/ mo. Call Teri, (706) 717-0479.

House on Lexington Rd. Located on bus line.

3BR/2BA, unfinished garage apt., small yd., W/D hookup. $595/mo. (706) 549-9456.

Now leasing 3 & 4 BR brick homes w/ private baths for Fall 2011. Pet friendly student community close to Dwntn. www.deklerealty.com, (706) 548-0580.

New 3BR/3BA houses!

Great Dwntn. location! Lg. BRs, tile, HWflrs., $1500/ m o . , a v a i l . 8 / 1 . w w w. newageproper tiesathens. com, (706) 713-0626.

Best rentals in Athens!

1–5BR houses, apts., condos. In the heart of UGA/Dwntn./5 Pts. Avail. Aug. Going fast, call today! (706) 369-2908 for more info.

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.

Roommates 2BR duplex. Beautiful & fully furnished. 4 mi. from GA Square Mall. Retiree wants roommate to share expenses. $375/mo. covers everything. (706) 6120925.

Share home. 2 rooms, private BA. Must love dogs. Near Athens, 3-16. $300/mo. Grad. student, settled person. (770) 312-2386.

Rooms for Rent $300/mo. rent for room in 3BR/2BA home. 1 exit north of mall, 5-10 min. to campus.

Quiet n'hood, big yd., W/D. Call (706) 201-3878.

Room in 3BR/1BA house. $300/mo. + utils. 1 mi. from Dwntn via Pulaski St., HWflrs., CHAC, W/D incl., covered porch, lg. closets, built-in bookcases. Wyatt, (706) 2242472.

Roommate needed for 2BR/1BA cottage off Grady Ave. Big kitchen, W/D. $450/ mo + gas & elect. Water included. No pets. Call Marty (706) 254-5014.

Sub-lease 1BR for rent in 3BR house.

Lg. front porch, plenty of parking, 10 min. walkfrom campus. S. Campus deck parking pass incl. $425/ mo. (very neg.). (404) 2900009.

For Sale Antiques Antiques & jewels Christmas sale! Antique furniture, estate jewelr y, fine oil paintings, Persian rugs, silver, china, stain glass & more. Open 11-6 daily except Sun. & Mon. by chance or appointment. (706) 340-3717.

290 N. Milledge Ave. Athens.

Antiques-jewels.com.



Furniture

All new pillow-top mattress set, $139. Sofa & love-seat, $399. 5-piece cherry finish bedroom set, $399. (706) 612-8004.

Go to Agora! Cool & a ff o rd a b l e ! Yo u r f a v o r i t e everything store! Specializing in retro goods, antiques, furniture, clothes, records & players plus more! 260 W. Clayton St., (706) 316-0130.

Pillowtop queen mattress set.

Never used. Still in factory plastic. $260. (706) 769-1959.

Delivery avail.

Miscellaneous Flagpole subscriptions!

Delivered straight to the mailbox! Perfect present for your buddy who moved out of town! $35 for 6 mo.s, $55 for 1 yr.! Call (706) 5499523.

Pets Boulevard Animal Hospital, w w w. d o w n t o w n a t h e n s v e t . com. January special for new clients only: 30% off exam w/ valid student/faculty ID. On Prince Ave. across from Bottleworks. Visit today! (706) 425-5099.

Instruction

Misc. Services

Athens School of Music.

Instruction in guitar, bass, drums, piano, voice, brass, woodwinds, strings, banjo, mandolin, fiddle & more. From beginner to expert. Instrument re p a i r s a v a i l . Vi s i t w w w.

AthensSchoolofMusic.com, (706) 543-5800.

Ready to move forward in your career? Resume assistance, 1-on-1 coaching.

Athens Career Coach. Free consultation, affordable rates.

Contact Sean at (706) 3630539 or visit http://www. higheredcareercoach. com/flagpole.

Music Services

Pawn

Athens’ best old school band.

For weddings, reunions, frat. parties, etc. Playing classic mo-town, R & B, soul, & beach music. Call (706) 6128842 or www.classiccitysoul. com.

Need cash, get it here. Top dollar for scrap gold, firearms, & other items. GA Dawg Pawn, (706) 353-0799. 4390B Atlanta Hwy, across from Sam’s Club.

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

Previous clients incl. R.E.M., Widespread Panic, Cracker, Bob Mould, John Berry, Abbey Road Live!, Squat. (706) 5491567.

Wedding bands. Quality, professional bands. Weddings, parties. Rock, jazz, etc. Call Classic City Entertainment. ( 7 0 6 ) 5 4 9 - 1 5 6 7 . w w w. classiccityentertainment.com.

Featuring The Magictones Athens’ premiere wedding & p a r t y b a n d . w w w. themagictones.com.

Musicians Wanted Drummer needed for hard rock band. Must be experienced.

Call (334) 669-1307.

Studios RoomFiftyThree. Mix room & ProTools HD2 Accelbased recording studio on the Eastside of Athens. Seriously high–end analog gear! Seriously affordable! Feel the love! Visit www.roomfiftythree.com.

Services Cleaning My name is Nick. I am local to Athens. I specialize in cleaning w/ “Earth Friendly” products. My cleaning is pet & child friendly.

I am thorough & efficient, therefore very easy on the budget! Phone or text (706) 851-9087. Email Nick@ goodworld.biz. Call Nico at Flagpole for a reference, (706) 549-0301.

Health Pregnant? Considering a d o p t i o n ? Ta l k w / c a r i n g agency specializing in matching birthmothers w/ families nationwide. Living expenses paid. Call 24/7 Abby’s One True Gift Adoptions. (866) 413-6293 (AAN CAN).

Music

The Weekend Wellness Workshop is a 12 wk. course starting Feb. 13. Lose weight, find balance in your life, & learn to cook healthy food. http:// www.weekendwellnessgroup. com/.

Announcements

Massage

Looking for a drummer, guitarist, bass player, violinist? Find your music mate w/ Flagpole Classifieds!

Call (706) 549-0301.

Therapeutic massage. 20 yrs. experience. Voted best in Athens. Deep tissue, 21 hot stone massage, geriatric. Lics. #401605-00.

Call Elizabeth at (706) 3382001 for appt.

Jobs Full-time House/server staff: Greyfield Inn, Cumberland Island. Come join our house staff & live/work on a beautiful Georgia island!

Some dining & wine service experience helpful. In-residence position. $25,500/annum. Send letter of interest & application request to seashore@ greyfieldinn.com.

Movie extras to stand in backgrounds for major film production. Earn up to $200/ day. Experience not required.

All looks needed. Call (877) 568-7052.

Shenanigans Salon now accepting applications for experienced hair stylists, clientele pref’d. Email resume to admin@shenaniganssalon.com or present in person. 1037A Baxter St. (706) 548-1115.

Opportunities Do you have great communication skills? Are you money motivated? Are you dependable? Are you willing to do what it takes to make $1000/wk.? If you answered yes to all, give Chris a call!

(770) 560-5653.

Do you earn $800/day? Be the boss of your own local route w/ 25 new machines & candy for $9995. Call today (887) 915-8222 (AAN CAN).

Help wanted. Extra income!

Assembling CD cases from home! No experience necessary! Call our live operators now! (800) 4057 6 1 9 , e x t . 2 4 5 0 . w w w. easywork-greatpay.com (AAN CAN).

High school diploma! Graduate in just 4 wks.! Free brochure.

Call now! (800) 532-6546, ext.

97. www.continentalacademy. com (AAN CAN).

Local data entry/typists needed immediately. $400 P T- $ 8 0 0 F T / w k . F l e x i b l e schedule, work from own PC. (800) 920-4851 (AAN CAN).

Stuck in a lease you’re trying to end? Sublease your house or apartment w/ Flagpole Classifieds! Visit flagpole. com or call (706) 549-0301.

Part-time Inoko Sushi Express is now hiring PT kitchen staff. Apply in person at 2301 College Station Rd. Mystery shoppers earn up to $100/day. Undercover shoppers needed to judge retail & dining establishments. No exp. req’d.

(800) 743-8535.

Vehicles Autos 2009 Toyota Prius, excellent condition, new tires, 31K, navigation, JBL Sound $19,800. Contact (706) 7834665 or snpathens@gmail.com.



Honda Civic Si Sports, 2 dr, 35,000 mi., 6 spd. MT. 200 horse power, 21/29 mpg.

New Contis. Well-maintained.

Loaded. $16,500 OBO. Serious.

(678) 984-7474.

Notices Messages Better than Ebay! Sell your goods locally w/ out shipping fees! Place your ads in F l a g p o l e Classifieds. Awesome run–till–sold rate! 12 wks. only the price of 4! Go to www.flagpole.com or call (706) 549-0301.

Organizations Assist w/ marketing research & earn $$. Held at UGA. Volunteers (25 & older, GA residents) sought to participate in 1 ½ hr. fiber marketing study. Earn $45. Survey sessions held at UGA’s College of Family & Consumer Sciences in Athens on Sat., Feb. 5th & Sun., Feb. 6th. Several session times avail. Email fiberstudy@udel.edu to sign up or for more info.

Conducted by the University of Delaware’s Experimental Economics Lab for Policy & Behavioral Research.

Pets Needs good home: 3 year-old neutered M Beagle up for adoption. Needs plenty of room & fenced yd. Beautiful dog w/ sweet disposition. (Too) well fed. Call (706) 548-3505.

Wanted: video clips of cute pet tricks. See www. athenspamperedpetsllc.com for details, rules & prizes.

Paid in advance! Make $1000/ wk. mailing brochures from home! Guaranteed income!

Free supplies! No experience req’d. Start immediately! www. homemailerprogram.net (AAN CAN).

JANUARY 26, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

29

Athens Wine Weekend

Intoxicatingly Informative

30

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 26, 2011

Wingate Downs

A

ngi Harben readily admits it: she was more about their passion and feel more comintimidated by her own event. Last fortable ordering and buying wine.” year, when Harben and her crew at the To further show off the wonder of wine, Classic Center were organizing the inaugural the event will top off Saturday with a sevenAthens Wine Weekend, she wasn’t exactly com- course dinner, both to teach attendees the fortable discussing her wine knowledge with craft of wine pairing, and for them to simply the vendors, attendees and volunteers. She enjoy a generous display of gourmet goodness. knew that Pinot Grigio was white, that Merlot “I’ll tell you, last year, when that dessert was red, and that if it was fizzy, it was likely a course came around, I didn’t think I could sparkling variety. Beyond that, Harben was in eat one more bite,” Harben says. “You don’t the dark about the intricacies of wine. realize how much food it is until you finish.

“Basically, I knew the colors of the wine,” Finishing becomes a challenge, for sure. But, laughs Harbin, director of marketing for the of course, you do.”

Classic Center. “But I couldn’t tell you what Following up the day of wine sampling will wine came from where, what would pair with be a Sunday brunch, which won’t be about certain dishes, all that. It was a little nervelearning as much as it will be about enjoying wracking, you know? I didn’t know what quesa Sunday afternoon in Athens, Harben says. tions to ask, because I didn’t know anything about wine.”

Now, a year later, Harben is again heading up the Athens Wine Weekend, only this go-round, she has a palate well acquainted with the world of wines—a change, she says, that occurred because of the education she received during the 2010 event.

“I attended the seminars we had last year, and I really paid attention during the tasting and the dinner, and I walked away feeling really good about what I had learned. But with all that wine, it’s kind of hard not to walk away feeling good,” Harben says. “We received a lot of feedback from people saying the same thing, that the seminars were so helpful in understanding the art of wine.”

Being held Feb. 5 & 6 at the Classic Center, the second annual Athens Wine Weekend is geared not only to wine aficionados, as many wine festivals are, but is aimed toward people like Harben, the ones who haven’t had the opportu- Mary Ann Hardeman of Persimmon Creek Vineyards in Clayton, GA. nity to learn more about wine. You know the folks: those friends who steer away Single tickets are available for purchase from the wine aisle because they feel overfor the grand tasting and lecture portion of whelmed by the varietals and options. the weekend, for the dinner course, and for “In a town like Athens, beer is more the the brunch alone, but Harben says a major king, and people don’t really often take the objective of the event is to bring in visitors to time to appreciate wine for what it is,” Harben come, sip and stay a while. Hence, one packsays. “I’m really excited about this year’s age option offers tickets to all the events plus event, to help bring in people who might not deluxe accommodations. step into this form of culture.”

More than an excuse to drink all day for During the two-day event, participants the sake of knowledge, the event is also will be offered four seminars to help build a a fundraiser for the Classic Center Cultural knowledge base about the nuances of wine Foundation, a branch of the center that supappreciation. The four lectures this year will ports the arts and provides scholarships to center on wine-pairing techniques, showcasing area high school students to pursue education New World wines, understanding champagnes opportunities in the cultural realm. and other bubblies, and calling attention to “The whole idea here is to bring together the popular wines of Tuscany. the community and people from outside our In between and during the lecture series, community, to shed light on cultural richthe grand tasting room will be abuzz with ness—be it drink, food or some other cultural samples of more than 150 wine options, form,” Harben says. “I mean, yes, you do get stemming from local, regional, national and to drink wine at 10 in the morning, and that international sources. With bottles from north is fun, but the bigger picture is that we want Georgia to New Zealand, France to South to bring people together, to help us all learn Africa, ticket holders will be able to drink new art forms and new cultures. It just haptheir way around the globe without ever steppens that wine is a great way of doing that.” ping foot outside the Classic Center, which And a day of drinking, well, that isn’t so was precisely the idea, Harben says. bad, either.

“There is so much to know about wine, and there are so many regions that produce it; it’s Anna Ferguson Hall a bit overwhelming,” she says. “But in a very good way. The vendors we have are so patient For more information, menus and to order tickets, visit with guests. They really want people to know www.athenswineweekend.com.

everyday people Shae Wilson, YMCA associate executive director Sometimes it’s best to nest where you’re hatched. Born and raised around Athens, Shae Wilson, the 31-year-old associate executive director of the Athens YMCA, learned this lesson after taking brief wing to Georgia’s mega-roost, Atlanta.

Wilson’s “Y” career began in 1999 as a youth basketball coach.

In the ensuing 12 years, she soared from coach to youth director, completed an undergrad degree in psychology, added the athletics department on top of her youth management duties and, upon completion of her MBA in 2010, landed in her current role.

Wilson prides herself on a breezy, open-door policy with her college-aged staff: “They can talk with me about anything they want.” But she has also learned to be firm and confident when dealing with problem employees: “I don’t fire you; you fire yourself.”

Flagpole: What did you do between youth basketball and returning as youth director?

Shae Wilson: I worked here until I was almost 21 and I ended up going to Atlanta for school, just for a change of pace. I ended up not doing school there. I tried my hand at real estate. I thought I wanted to be an agent. But that is definitely not my thing; I am not cut out for that.

FP: What was growing up in Athens like?

SW: I was born at Athens Regional. My dad was from Jackson County; we lived in Madison County.

So, I was between the three. You’re exposed to a lot… I meet my staff who are just coming into town and they are so bright-eyed and can’t wait to get into it. But I’ve been here my entire life so I’m more, “Eh, OK.” I feel a lot more cultured just from being in this town; you see more diversity. Madison was slower, you know, cows… the works. I grew up with a garden. I have an appreciation for all that—I just bought a horse farm, myself. My high school kids here, what they do for fun is not what we did for fun. We’d just hang out in a field.

André Gallant

FP: When did you know it wasn’t for you?

SW: Uh… I think I knew when I started, but I wanted to live in Atlanta and be young and fun. But about six months in, I was like, “This is terrible. People are mean.” I was so naïve.

I did it for almost 10 months and then came back.

FP: What makes a good director and how do you embody that?

SW: I think to be a good director at the “Y,” you have to love the movement. [The Athens YMCA is] the third-oldest in the country. We have so much heritage and tradition. You have to love people and know yourself. I love my staff unconditionally; they can come to me with anything—that’s a big deal. We do a lot of emotional intelligence training: What are your hot buttons; who are you; how do motivate people; who are you serving?

FP: What do you mean by “the movement?”

SW: Just the “Y.” It’s such a great place. This “Y” is busing in 23 schools a day: Oconee, Clarke County, private schools.

We are bridging the gap; bringing people in who would have never known each other if they didn’t come here. It’s that. It’s so infectious. And the members: from Winder, Oconee, Jackson, Madison. They all meet in aerobics class.

FP: Someone told me they thought the YMCA gets overlooked when people talk about Athens. Do you have any thoughts on that?

SW: Yes; I think this town has evolved. Back in the day, the “Y” was this “It” thing, just huge. One, we are a fitness facility and the competition is just thick in this town. We cater to families and development and programs. I think people

Stop by and Join Us in

Celebrating Our th Anniversary!

18

overlook us because they don’t know that. Things like our child watch where you can leave your child while you work out. When [the other gyms] came into town, our target market changed. It went from singles and students and everybody…

We now have a niche market: youth, families, senior citizens.

FP: You’re 31 now. How has Athens changed in your eyes?

SW: I think that I’ve just gotten too old for the town and I just look at it differently now. Everybody stays 18 to 21 and you just keep getting older… I don’t think the town changed; I’ve just grown into the town. I bought a condo here five years ago and it really opened my eyes. I just think this town keeps getting younger, which is not true. I just keep getting older.

FP: What does your job tell you about Athens? Does it have a particular insight?

SW: This job, you see a lot of stuff… Parenting, for one.

You see so much. Parenting styles, some good, some bad.

Twenty-three buses coming in every day is quite the eyeopener… it is overwhelming. We are only serving 500 kids.

There are a million buses running right now—where are those kids going? It can provide you with some bad insights, which is really unfortunate, but it’s the harsh reality.

FP: What are some of those realities?

SW: There are a lot of families that need a lot of assistance, and that’s what we are here for. All of our funding comes from people like you or me making small donations. And there is a lot of need in this town. What is so disheartening is how much need there is and how people will take advantage of it.

FP: Do you think you’ll stick around the “Y” for awhile?

SW: Yes; I don’t know if I’ll always be around the Athens “Y,” but I am very driven and I want to see where my career can take me.

I’m excited about it. I finished my master’s for this very reason. But I don’t know what my next step is; I’m just kind of waiting to see. I do hope to be in and retire from the “Y.” FP: Even if that means leaving Athens?

SW: If necessary, though I don’t want to. The Athens “Y” saved me from an eating disorder and I feel like I owe this place a lot, and that’s why I work so hard. This place has been life-saving and -changing for me. I hope to be able to serve this “Y.” FP: Are you comfortable with talking about that experience?

Do you mind sharing?

SW: I am comfortable. I was 19 and was in some bad situations and got caught up with no control over my own life, so I controlled my eating. It was a problem. I went to counseling and got healthy. I was struggling really bad, working at the dry cleaner that’s beside Moe’s. Mrs. Janie Bush, our financial director that I am so thankful for, walked in one day and said, “Sweetie, you should be working at the YMCA.” I had never heard of the “Y”; I didn’t grow up in a “Y.” I thought this place was an elementary school; I didn’t know. She brought in an application when she picked up her husband’s clothes. Two days later, I got a call for an interview and got hired on the spot. I met all new people, served a whole new purpose. The kids knew my name and depended on me to show up, and when I didn’t show, they wanted to know where I was. From that, I got extremely healthy, got over myself, that self-pity part of life. This place absolutely changed my life. I am in debt to this place. I want to serve here. I want to make this “Y” an “A-plus” YMCA. André Gallant athensrising@flagpole.com

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JANUARY 26, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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Winter Drinks!

WED-SAT 8-11pm

Large Selection of Hot Spirited Drinks

Best View of North Campus Check us out on the web at

blueskyathens.com Located Above

Taco Stand Downtown

$

$

1 Miller Lite Drafts $ 2 Import Drafts

260 EAST WASHINGTON STREET DOWNTOWN • 706-369-3040 TOP OF JACKSON ST. 12 STEPS FROM THE CORNER

Mon-Fri 4-9

Call to book your private party here 706-207-6593

128 College Ave. 706-543-1433