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FEBRUARY 23, 2011 · VOL. 25 · NO. 7 · FREE

Crave

The T&G Players Tackle Existentialism p. 10

Grape Soda

Celebrating the Release of Form a Sign as a 5-Piece p. 15

Congrats, Ben! p. 4 · Behind the Rail p. 7 · Grub Notes p. 11 · The Get Up Kids p. 16 · YellowFever p. 17

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pub notes What’s In a Name?

The Lowdown on LoDo Okay, folks: what we’re missing here is the right name. Early in the last decade Flagpole occasionally referred to the area between the Classic Center and the river as “LoDo”: Lower Downtown, if you will. Sure, Denver has a famous area by that name, but they’re so far west it won’t matter if we use it, too.

Besides, their LoDo is the same as ours, an older, funky area where the city got started. If we include lower Oconee Street as well as lower East Broad, we’ll be including the area where Athens started, too.

When we refer to the River District, people have a hard time visualizing where that is, ditto Blue Heron. Lower Downtown, on the other hand, tells you exactly what we’re talking about and also emphasizes the connection with, well, upper downtown, up there on the ridge. LoDo is descriptive as well as catchy. The whole point about developing the River District/ Blue Heron/LoDo is just that: the area is important primarily because it lies so close to downtown—can in fact become part of downtown, i.e., Lower Downtown.

Lower Downtown is a geographic designation, but it also captures the spirit of what we’re talking about when we envision an extension of our restaurant, bar, entertainment district beyond its present boundaries. Properly nourished, downtown will, as the economy allows, flow east past Thomas Street, becoming lower downtown as it heads down hill toward So, here’s for the river: the very definition embracing this neat of LoDo. So, here’s for embracing appellation that tells this neat appellation that us where the area is tells us where the area is and what it is: LoDo. Yes, and and what it is: LoDo. LoDo emphasizes, too, the importance a lot of us have been talking about of enhancing the flow of downtown rather than impeding it. And it illustrates why the design of the Classic Center is such a vital element controlling what happens to downtown and whether it is cut off from lower downtown.

Some people have trouble envisioning that growth down the hill, pointing out that Foundry Street, the warehouses and the railroad already constitute a serious barrier to connectedness.

We can’t make downtown grow, although you may recall that back in the day there was some serious government money and some incentives that helped get the present downtown rolling. And, of course, the Blue Heron project is similarly projected as a business incubator. The main point at present is to avoid doing something that slams the door on that potential future growth. We cannot afford to seal off the only remaining flow from downtown, and we cannot afford to obliterate any chance of people-friendly commercial development in the Foundry Street area. If Hancock remains open, people can still get down that way to patronize businesses. The Classic Center at least has the possibility to sit in the midst of a mixed-use area of shops and restaurants, making the vicinity inviting to out-of-town conferees as well as local citizens. Instead of erecting a barrier, the Classic Center can become a part of the flow as downtown eases into LoDo. Let’s hear it for LoDo, because it tells where we are and where we want to go.

LoDo: lower downtown—that’s what it is.

Athens Favorites Coming at You We couldn’t resist any longer. Athens has such a rich environment of businesses and places of fun, enjoyment and civic interest that we just have to find out our readers’ favorites. Sure, it’s a way for us to try to make some advertising money, too, and you may have heard how important that is to newspapers. Go online to flagpole.com and start picking your favorites. We will appreciate your participation, and it’s a way for you to recognize the places you like in Athens. We expect the answers to be all over the map, because there are so many places that people like. So, pick your own favorites online between now and Mar. 16, and we’ll announce them in a special Flagpole section after that. E pluribus unum: one out of many—our favorite town composed of all our favorites.

Pete McCommons editor@flagpole.com

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

A former City Dope makes good—very, very good—in the first year of his new gig.

The Problem of Bethel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Are We Helping Athens’ Poor to Help Themselves?

The poverty and crime in Bethel Midtown Village are symptoms of societal ills.

Arts & Events Crave a Challenge? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Get Existential

T&G’s Crave executes beautiful material with a larger message about the fragmentation of society.

Movie Pick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

COVER DESIGN by Kelly Ruberto featuring a painting by Joe Havasy (www.joehavasy.com) on display at Transmetropolitan (downtown)

Downsized and Despondent

The Company Men is produced with the above-average quality of the HBO movie it should have been.

Music

5

The Get Up Kids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 All Grown Up

Now that the reunion is out of the way, The Get Up Kids redefine themselves.

Catch YellowFever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 …While You Still Can

A name change is imminent for the dexterous songwriting duo.

CITY DOPE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 CITY PAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 CAPITOL IMPACT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 BEHIND THE RAIL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 ATHENS RISING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 CRAVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 GRUB NOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 MOVIE DOPE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 MOVIE PICK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 THREATS & PROMISES. . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

RECORD REVIEWS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 GRAPE SODA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 THE GET UP KIDS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 YELLOWFEVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 THE CALENDAR!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 BULLETIN BOARD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 ART AROUND TOWN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 COMICS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 REALITY CHECK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 BETHEL MIDTOWN VILLAGE . . . . . . . . . 30

9

This week at Flagpole.COM

16

 World View asks “Why Now?” about revolutions in the Middle East

 What’s happening? Post local events with our Calendar submission form

 Adopt Me! Find a new furry friend  Loads of Live Music Reviews  We want to hear your opinion! Write a Letter to the Editor

 Contact Us! Submit your original, non-published writing, story ideas, photos or cover art to editor@ flagpole.com

CONTACT US:

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 Charles-Ryan Barber, Hillary Brown, Jason Bugg, Carrie Dagenhard, John Granofsky, John Huie, Gordon Lamb, Bao Le-Huu, David Mack, Carlo Nassise, John G. Nettles, Matthew Pulver, Mark Sanders, Harry Sims, Sydney Slotkin, Jordan Stepp, 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 7

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

Flagpole, Inc. publishes Flagpole Magazine weekly and distributes 17,000 copies free at over 275 locations around Athens, Georgia. Subscriptions cost $55 a year, $35 for six months. © 2011 Flagpole, Inc. All rights reserved.

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FEBRUARY 23, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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Not All Wet: Anybody remember last sumneedlessly difficult to traverse the heart of mer, when there was a big fire and Trail Creek campus. That’s a good thing—we’ll be followturned blue and nobody knew what the hell ing the various threads of this issue in the was going on? That whole episode would have weeks and months to come. been far more confusing, not to mention damaging, had it not been for the efforts of Ben “Twinkletoes” Hamby Steps Out for Safe: Emanuel, the Oconee River Project director Tickets are already on sale for the 4th Annual for the Altamaha Riverkeeper and, of course, “Dancing with the Athens Stars” benefit the last egg before yours truly to sit at this for Project Safe, 7 p.m. Sunday, Mar. 6 at the desk. In recognition of his tireless dedication to the Trail Creek cause, as well as the many other achievements of his brief tenure, Ben’s being honored this weekend by the Georgia River Network as the River Conservationist of the Year at the organization’s River Celebration Awards at the Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell. Also being honored, as one of GRN’s two Volunteers of the Year, is Athens’ Chris Manganiello, who, like Ben, contributes his excellent writing to the Georgia Water Wire blog in Work on the Georgia Theatre has a head start, but City Dope predicts it’ll soon be addition to performovertaken by the Downtown Parking Deck next door. ing more than his share of duties in the non-virtual world. A hearty congratulations to Classic Center. You can buy them at the Classic them both on being recognized for their great Center box office or online at www.classicwork in a particularly challenging year. center.com, and you can make donations while voting for your favorite contestants at www.

Staying in the Mix: Russell Edwards, who last projectsafe.org. That money goes to support year mounted an unsuccessful but admirable Project Safe’s mission to end domestic viocampaign to unseat our local “representative” lence, and it’s much needed and appreciated. in Congress, will moderate a forum on new This year’s dancing “stars” include legendary opportunities for high speed rail in Georgia UGA tennis coach Dan Magill, restauranteur at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Mar. 2 in the Classic Jaamy Zarnegar, film producer Ashley Epting, Center Fire Hall. Since that—like the posand ACC Commissioner Mike Hamby, who’s presibilities for non-gas-guzzling, road-hogging, sumably taking training from fellow commish globe-warming transportation in general—is and 2010 contestant Kelly Girtz as you read a subject that is being scrupulously ignored this. We’re gonna need a montage! by our Republican overlords, it’s good to see someone trying to open up a new dialog on it Another Worthy Cause: Clarke Central High with the public. Local activist Michael Smith School’s Odyssey Newsmagazine is having a is handling the organizational duties; you can fundraiser Saturday, Feb. 26 with the generreach him at (770) 296-9945 if you want to ous cooperation of Moe’s Southwest Grill. learn more, RSVP, or volunteer to help.

Customers that day presenting a coupon available at the Odyssey’s Facebook page will have Speaking of Which: After the Dope made a 20 percent of their bill donated to the awardlittle noise about the university’s backwards winning student publication. Go print one handling of the “Sanford snafu” (the short, out now, while you’re thinking of it. one-way stretch of Sanford Drive that cyclists are being instructed to avoid by riding two A Reminder: The public input process for the blocks out of their way) a couple of weeks design phase of the Classic Center expansion is ago, BikeAthens treasurer Peter Norris kindly still going on—the second of three charretteforwarded a Red and Black article about a style meetings is happening at 6 p.m. Tuesday, group of UGA engineering students who are Feb. 22, as this paper hits the streets. Some of in the process of creating plans for a campus that input has been very robust, and citizens bike greenway. The students hope to preshave produced at least one rough but seement the plan to UGA brass when it’s finished, ingly viable alternative plan that would and some of them met last week with campus preserve the connection of Hancock Avenue planners Lara Mathes and Ben Liverman, as to Foundry Street. With the help of the design well as UGA Grounds Director Dexter Adams, team, which has appeared open to the public’s last week to discuss the project. Mathes and concerns, there’s reason for optimism that we Liverman, incidentally, are looking for ways to may be able to get something done. The third resolve the snafu so that people using bikes meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Mar. for on-campus transportation aren’t rewarded 10 in the Classic Center Fire Hall. for that good, healthy and responsible choice with a stupid obstacle that makes it Dave Marr news@flagpole.com

city pages Ben Epps Statue to Grace City Hall Block More than 20 people have applied to serve on Athens’ new Cultural Affairs Commission, a group of artists and citizens who’ll be charged with planning and maintaining pubic art in Athens (mostly in public spaces and government buildings). ACC commissioners will choose the board’s nine members on Mar. Susan Epps-Ward

The sculpture by Bob Quinn will soon be cast in bronze.

1. Their first assignment could be picking a spot for a new statue of pioneer aviator Ben Epps, an Athens electrician and auto mechanic who at age 19 built and flew Georgia’s first airplane from a field that is now Athens-Ben Epps Airport.

As aviation developed in the early 1900s Epps continued to fly, and to teach others

to fly—including his 13-year-old son, who as America’s youngest aviator was invited by President Herbert Hoover to visit the White House. Epps Flying Field became Georgia’s first civilian airport.

Billy Galt is Ben Epps’ grandson, and lives in Athens today. His plans for a statue to commemorate his granddad (who died in a 1937 plane crash) grew out of a 2007 centennial celebration of Georgia aviation in the 100 years since Ben Epps took to the air. It was sculpted by Mableton artist Bob Quinn and will soon be cast into bronze at a Georgia foundry. The life-sized likeness shows Epps with a propeller in one hand and plane plans in the other—symbolic of Epps’ efforts to “push aviation forward,” says Galt. “In the early days of aviation, I think he promoted aviation more than anyone else.”

In the future, the Athens Cultural Affairs Commission will make recommendations on choosing, accepting and displaying public art, but ACC commissioners had already agreed— after hemming and hawing for several years—to accept the aviator’s statue. “Commissioners don’t really need to be in the business of deciding about public art. We need people that know about it to advise us,” said Commissioner Alice Kinman at a work session earlier this month.

They have discussed placing it along the Washington Street sidewalk near City Hall, but they want members of the new Cultural Affairs Commission to specify the site. The Washington Street location would put it directly across the street from where Ben Epps’ business was located (a plaque in the sidewalk marks that spot).

Other art pieces could also be displayed in “niches” or small pedestals along the sidewalks surrounding the City Hall block, once a sales taxfunded streetscape project is complete. The county government now owns the entire City Hall block, having bought the former Athens First bank building—now being renovated for Public Utilities Department offices, including moving the Water Business Office from Prince Avenue. (That work has been delayed by rain, but could be done in April.)

All the sidewalks edging the City Hall block will be widened under the streetscape improvement plan, with the addition of brickpaving, trees and benches similar to the ones on College Square. “You have plenty of places to sit, plenty of places for events,” SPLOST project administrator Derek Doster told commissioners at the work session. Such gathering places could host small art festivals, “in lieu of trying to shut down the whole street,” Doster said. Curving steps will be added in front of the “Spirit of Athens” sculpture and the double-barreled cannon; but the plans do not cover any interior areas of the block beyond the sidewalks. Angled parking will remain along Hancock, but about a dozen parking spaces will be lost in other areas.

“We’re heavily invested in the parking deck approach,” county manager Alan Reddish noted at the work session, referring to the Downtown Parking Deck currently under construction at Lumpkin and Washington streets.

The Washington Street sidewalk will be completed first.

Citizens Can Report Litter Violations A “litter hotline” allows citizens to report litterbugs—by phone message, email or an online form—if they have a tag number for the offender. “We send it to the police,” says Stacy Smith of Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful, a nonprofit housed in ACC’s recycling division. “They send out the letter.”

The police letter details the incident and recounts the fines ($50-$500) and possible jail time (up to 60 days) for littering. But penalties can’t be enforced based on citizen reports, Smith points out; an officer must see a violation to make an arrest. “Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful does this as an educational program,” she says. The hotline (706-613-3506) has gotten about a dozen calls this year. It has been in place since 2005, but hasn’t been very active. “I think a lot of people don’t know about it,” says Smith.

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 23, 2011

capitol impact When Zell Miller stepped down as governor in 1999, he had accomplished two things that would stand as his legacy: the HOPE scholarship program that financed a college education for high-achieving students and criminal sentencing laws, notably the “two-strikes” legislation, that would keep people in prison for many years. They seemed like good ideas at the time. HOPE scholarships would keep our brightest young people at home to attend college. Criminals would stay behind bars so that they couldn’t prey on innocent people.

Miller’s legacy is fading away. The culprit is the long economic downturn that has ravaged Georgia’s tax revenues and knocked gaping holes in recent state budgets. The get-tough crime program was so effective that it stuffed Georgia’s prisons to the breaking point and put people there who may not have posed as large a threat to society as the more violent offenders. Corrections Commissioner Brian Owens estimated recently that about 40 percent of the 53,000 inmates in our prison system are serving sentences for drug offenses or non-violent crimes. It costs nearly $20,000 per year to provide each of those inmates with a “hard bed,” which is why the corrections budget now totals more than $1 billion annually.

“It is draining our state treasury and depleting our work force.” Gov. Nathan Deal said shortly after he was inaugurated in January.

House Speaker David Ralston agreed: “We now know that the cost of those programs and the cost of those sentencing changes is exorbitant. And I think that it was probably a higher number than we estimated at the time.” The state’s top leaders have called for a special commission that will review Georgia’s sentencing laws and recommend some changes. Those recommendations will likely dismantle much of what Zell Miller signed into law a little more than a decade ago.

Just as we can’t afford to put everybody behind bars anymore, we also can’t pay the tab for every student who maintains at least a B average in our university system. The Georgia Lottery has provided billions of dollars over the years for the HOPE program, but that money is no longer sufficient to meet all the demands for scholarships. HOPE will spend roughly $240 million more than it takes in during the current fiscal year and will be in the red by more than $300 million in the fiscal year that begins July 1.

That kind of payout can’t be sustained anymore.

Deal has been working on recommendations that would cap HOPE scholarship grants at about 90 percent of the current tuition levels. That amount would not increase, even if the Board of Regents should vote to hike tuition in coming years. If those changes are approved, it will mean the end of Miller’s grand dream of paying the way for every student who kept his or her grades at the B level. While most of the tuition costs would be covered at first, the percentage of tuition that HOPE reimburses will get smaller as future tuition increases are adopted. It could be that 10 years from now, a HOPE scholarship will barely cover one-third or one-half of a student’s yearly tuition. That’s better than nothing, but it’s a long way from the original vision of the program when it was implemented in the early 1990s.

There aren’t any villains in this story. I don’t think anyone in the Legislature takes any joy at cutting back on HOPE, but the lottery funds are no longer enough and there isn’t the political will to raise taxes or move money from another source to keep providing full scholarships.

Zell Miller’s dream was a good one, but when the money runs out, the dream dies.

Tom Crawford tcrawford@gareport.com

UGA Theatre, Dance and School of Music present Strauss’ comic operetta

Die Fledermaus behind the rail An Inside Take on Local Issues The New Year has come. The new unified government of Athens-Clarke County has begun—in spite of the fact that only two new members were seated, it is a new government. We welcome our new mayor, Mrs. Nancy Denson, and a new commissioner, Mr. Jared

Harry Sims Bailey. They have hit the ground running.

Both are proving to be quick studies in this complex government of ours.

The challenges before this commission will be many. We’ve begun to see already that there is still the expectation of transparency, as there has always been. One of the first big challenges is the Classic Center expansion.

Opportunities are being provided for public input from the start. The commission is asking the public to be involved.

While sitting behind the rail, I find it interesting that most of our citizens can sometimes be one-issue driven. Our Tuesday regular meeting Feb. 1 was a good example of that. We had 21 items to vote on, but

attention was focused on one item: the Classic Center. In that meeting, we voted to spend more than $6,000,000 for the new Downtown Parking Deck and nobody seemed to notice.

This is why the commission has to focus on all the issues, as opposed to single issues, and that isn’t always easy when our citizens are constantly reminding us of a single issue.

Those were some thoughts about February’s voting meeting. Now, what’s on tap for the upcoming Mar. 1 voting meeting? Our meeting this month may not have as many visitors as last month’s, but the issues on the agenda are just as important. One of the items that hopefully will be put behind us in the very near future is inmate offsite boarding. [Editor’s note: ACC currently pays to board some of its prisoners in other communities’ jails because of overcrowding in its own. A new jail will be constructed as part of the SPLOST 2011 list of projects, and a diversion center to house nonviolent offenders has also been funded.] We’ve made a visit to our onsite overflow housing pods that are being completed and we hope to move in March. Things are looking positive. We only hope that the new jail can move along as fast. The groundwork for the diversion center is also on the way.

Although February is a short month, the calendar for the commission is full. The week of Feb. 20, I have the Criminal Justice Task Force on Monday, a public input forum for the Classic Center expansion on Tuesday, interviews for county boards and authorities—a half-day adventure—on Wednesday, and a budget meeting on Thursday. As one can see, this is a working government.

Thank you, Flagpole, for the opportunity to submit this article.

Harry Sims Harry Sims is the Athens-Clarke County Commissioner for District 2.

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Come watch Ashley and Allison dance at Dancing with the Athens Stars Sunday March 6 at the Classic Center!

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 23, 2011

athens rising What’s Up in New Development A Vivid Illustration: On Saturday, Feb. 12, we had that public information session at the Classic Center. Over a hundred community members showed up, and the whole thing was a joke.

The process, as controlled by the Classic Center and the architects it hired, was set up to lead to only one conclusion, and it was very intentional. No meaningful community input could come out of such a process, and that’s entirely the point.

The rest of my Saturday was much better. I swung by a lecture at the university, where a 26-year-old activist spoke to other young college student activists assembled from around the Southeast about how to get things done to better their communities. Most of these kids were somehow affiliated with causes relating to food, whether organic, local, healthier or otherwise better for people. Somewhere in that room, there was probably a future Hugh Acheson, or maybe the founder of the next Earth Fare or Whole Foods.

hasn’t been said is that in order to be competitive, we must protect and enhance our convention center’s best asset.

Right now, the Classic Center is pushing a design that will be a huge detriment to that asset. When the community tells them that everything they love about downtown Athens (that thing that they use as their key attraction) is in jeopardy based on this bad design, you’d think the people who rely on it would listen. It’s really that simple.

We’re faced with a choice between optimizing downtown Athens or optimizing the civic center. If the civic center relies on downtown for its success, then the needs of downtown must come first.

What We’re Missing: So, if we were actually to build a civic center that embraced downtown Athens, what might it look like? The first thing we would do is not cut off access to Foundry Street and points east. That means building the 50,000-square-foot exhibit hall the right way in the right spot. The money necessary to do this can be found by cutting that silly atrium out and coming up with a more practical concept for pre-event space.

Suppose that exhibit hall went on what used to be Clayton Street, currently home to parking lots for the Classic Center and the Banner-Herald. Maybe it would have big doors that would open up, like the Fire Hall, so that people could wander down Clayton through big archways and into trade shows and vice versa.

Perhaps that old exhibit hall could accommodate our thrice-weekly farmers markets, invigorating Foundry Street and utilizing the Classic Center in a way that matters to Athens residents. It would also be a good way to utilize the existing kitchen in the building, if a new exhibit hall included an expanded one elsewhere. ACC Commissioner Doug Lowry’s idea for a Dekalb Farmers Market-style venue might fit well here, too. Imagine conventioneers being able to browse stalls set up by 50 or 100 local businesses between sessions. The courtyard (sans atrium) might be a lot more fun with that market spilling out into it.

The plaza around the Athena statue could also use a dressing-up, with retail that invigorates it and invites people. That Fire Hall forecourt could be the gateway to the river district, with an active plaza full of tables and chairs, food carts and an interactive fountain. Retail spaces ringing it would help, too. From there, folks could wander down the hill through courtyards and plazas A lively pedestrian thoroughfare in Seattle (above) traverses a steep slope with a series of to our burgeoning river district. Athens has terraced plazas, activated by retail. Could a similar design be applied to the Classic Center’s funky streetlife in spades. The Classic Center courtyard (below) behind the Fire Hall? should figure out how to be a part of that.

It is, after all, a marketing tool for the city.

After that lecture, I ran into those kids again. En masse, When company reps come here to meet, they should have such 50 or 60 of these activists showed up at a house show with a good time that they seriously consider moving their busitwo great bands from Florida, along with local up-and-comers ness here permanently.

Reptar, who have been making a name for themselves around the country. The floors shook and bounced and the windows The Message: We have yet to discuss how to actually translate fogged up and everyone had a swell time dancing ‘til the Athens into the Classic Center. The two really ought to be cops came. To those out-of-town activists from boring places indistinguishable, though, if we want to really hook people like Auburn and Clemson, Athens looked pretty damn cool. by giving them interesting experiences while they’re here.

The lectures they attended were informative and thoughtWe have also yet to consider what the convention center of provoking, no doubt, but I’m betting that party will carry a the future looks like. The dusty old plan that these folks are lot of weight with them, too. Maybe some of them will come proposing may meet the needs of conferences like the “Future back here to visit again, perhaps go to grad school, and ultiBusiness Leaders of America,” but does it take into considermately start a business here. These are people who want to do ation the individuals who will be leading America’s businesses the work of making the world better, and they seemed to like in the future?

Athens.

What the Classic Center has to illustrate first and foremost if it is to be successful, not only as a convention hall but as Simple Priorities: In all of this talk about the civic center a marketing and economic development tool for Athens, is expansion, we’ve heard a lot of people say that Athens’ best this: unique things happen here, and if you want to do unique selling point is Athens. By that, they mean that the city’s things, here is where you ought to be. unique atmosphere is the main competitive edge the Classic Center has over every other city’s convention center. What Kevan Williams athensrising@flagpole.com

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ne of the best things about living in a funky little town with a thriving theatre community is the opportunity to experience lesser-known, experimental and “little” plays on a regular basis. For those who don’t know, alongside the marquee Main Stage productions put on by the Town & Gown Players are its Second Stage productions, smaller plays with generally edgier content. Produced for three shows on the weekends following Main Stage runs, Second Stage shows are done with smaller casts and on a fraction of the budget of a headline production. While I’m sure the directors of these plays would prefer some more cash to work with, necessity is the mother of invention, and it’s always interesting to watch how a Second Stage director, cast and crew improvise with a spitand-baling-wire budget.

T&G director Ashley Laramore has taken on a particularly challenging project for the coming weekend, Sarah Kane’s critically acclaimed, but notoriously difficult, 1998 play Crave. One of only four plays the English playwright scripted before taking her own life in 1999, Crave has been staged over the years by many companies to varying degrees of success. When it’s staged well, it’s a glorious thing; when it fails, it fails miserably. Laramore is attempting the small-town community theatre version of the Milk-Can Escape.

An existential play about four people shattered and wearied by life and loss and facing disintegration, what makes Kane’s play so tricky is not what it contains but rather what it doesn’t. There is no designated setting for the action, nor are there any stage directions. The four characters are known only by initials (A, B, C and M) and don’t interact physically—their isolation being central to the play. The narrative is non-linear, and the play actually suffers when a director attempts to impose story on it.

So far, the play appears to be a disaster waiting to happen, except for two factors that redeem all. First is the sheer lyricism of Kane’s dialogue. Fragmented and musical, Crave has been described by more than one critic as an extended tone poem, akin to a love-child of Samuel Beckett and T. S. Eliot, which is crazy praise indeed. All the empty spaces Kane leaves in direction she fills with adroitly crafted words, giving this bleak scenario its pulse.

The second thing this production has going for it is Laramore’s able hand and love of the material, given voice

by T&G veterans Fred Galyean, Jayne Lockhart and Rachel Steffens, along with newcomer Peter Ward. Kane’s play demands that the actors create their characters piecemeal from the material; fortunately, the actors in Laramore’s cast have elsewhere proven themselves adept at this kind of craft, and the performances should be first-rate.

What we can expect to see from this production of Crave, therefore, is a strong cast executing darkly beautiful material with a larger message about the fragmentation of ourselves and our society—in other words, what experimental theatre does best.

John G. Nettles

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 23, 2011

Crave runs Friday and Saturday, Feb. 25 & 26, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 27, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5, no reservations. Visit www. townandgownplayers.org.

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George and Jerry Tribute: Tucked away in a still fairly new shopping center near the loop on South Milledge, George’s Lowcountry Table (2095 S. Milledge Ave.) isn’t really a hopping scene. It seems like the folks who used to work at Harry Bissett’s have spread out all over the Athens area, and George’s is owned by Reggie DiSante, ex-chef and general manager of Bissett’s westside location. The restaurant’s name is a tribute to George Davis, who founded both Bissett’s and Gus Garcia’s in the 1980s and mentored DiSante in the process. It’s a bit of a surprise in Athens to receive not only competent but actually good service, and George’s certainly has that. Customers with a baby are smartly directed to a room where they won’t bother the other diners but not made to feel second-class. The napkins are black, so you won’t end up with white fuzz all over your pants. The food arrives quickly and, even before your appetizers hit the table, you’re treated to a basket of cheddar biscuits that are one of the best things you’ll eat: clearly homemade, puffy, and flavorful. There’s no question it’s a restaurant for grown-ups.

But how’s the grub? On the whole, it’s probably a bit above average. Many of the ingredients are better than they have to be, and it doesn’t really feel like corners have been cut. Some things are well executed, but others miss the mark—not by a ton but by enough that it’s noticeable. About half of the lowcountry eggs Benedict (the drop biscuits, the salty ham, one of the two fried green tomatoes) is tasty, but the poached eggs, while not objectionable, just seem to be missing something, and the Hollandaise sauce (i.e., the reason anyone orders eggs Benedict to begin with) is bland, as though someone forgot to add the lemon. The spicy vin…braised boneless egar sauce on the smoked pork is as advertised and may be a short ribs… little hot for some, but the pork itself is tender and has its own good flavor under the capsaicin. The gumbo probably would be better if the roux were darker. The braised boneless short ribs served over mashed potatoes are fine but weakly seasoned, and while bones are annoying to deal with, they also result in more flavorful meat. The crab cakes, too, could use some zip, although the stewed corn they top is good, and the portion seems small for $17 (two not particularly large cakes).

Most of the prices seem fair for the kind of restaurant it is, with entrees at $10 to $20, and while you may not have enough to take leftovers home, you should generally be satisfied. George’s has a whole menu of specialty cocktails and what looks like a calm, pleasant bar. The restaurant also has a private room you can rent, takes credit cards and is open every day for dinner (from 4 p.m. weekdays, from 3 p.m. weekends) and for brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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Entrepreneurs: The only way we’re going to get food carts in Athens is if brave souls step up to the challenge. Uncle Jerry’s Biscuits and Burgers (1145 N. Chase St.) is run by some of them. Located next to Twice the Ice, in a gravel parking lot, the trailer seems to be doing a bang-up business, probably because you can call or text in your order “for speedy pickup.”

It serves a wide array of literally cat-head-sized biscuits from 6 a.m. until “10-ish,” including red link sausage, gravy, steak, tenderloin and more.

Lunch mostly consists of burgers and hot dogs, but there are a few more intriguing options, such as the “Hawg Dawg”: a giant hot dog bun filled with pulled pork, brunswick stew, melted cheese and coleslaw. You may need a fork to tackle it, but the bread is substantial and good, and the BBQ stands up to the vinegary sauce well, with some nice smoke flavor.

A Philly cheesesteak uses the same kind of tasty roll, plus the kind of artificial cheese you’re supposed to feature. Uncle Jerry’s also does fries, patty melts, chicken tenders, chili and a grilled cheese sandwich that is a mere $2 (combine with a bowl of chili for $4.50 and a super-cheap hot lunch).

Everything is between $1.50 (hot dogs) and $6 (the bigger sandwiches). It even takes credit cards, a marvel of technology.

Unfortunately, it’s only open Monday through Friday, until 2 p.m., and while there’s a picnic table in front if you don’t want to spill chili in your car, the weather may preclude your eating on the spot. Still, judging from the stream of construction workers and firemen who appear to be frequenting it, it may provide a model for this sort of business.

Hillary Brown food@flagpole.com

FEBRUARY 23, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

11

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

AWAKE MY SOUL (NR) The oldest surviving form of American music, the 200-plus-year-old Sacred Harp, has endured out of sight in the rural corners of the deepest South. Two Atlanta filmmakers, Erica and Matt Hinton, spent seven years compiling hundreds of hours of Sacred Harp singings and interviews with singers and composers to tell the story of this haunting musical style. The documentary has been well-reviewed by several reputable publications. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers and a vocal performance.

BIG MOMMAS: LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON (PG-13) FBI agent Malcolm Turner (Martin Lawrence) dons his fat suit again in the third (how can that be?) entry in the Big Momma’s House franchise. Now both Big Momma and Charmaine AKA Trent (Brandon T. Jackson) must infiltrate an all girls performing arts school to catch a murderer. Faizon Love plays Kurtis Kool, former Run-D.M.C. roadie and present school security guard that becomes smitten with Big Momma. Director John Whitesell also directed Big Momma’s House 2. With Emily Rios, Portia Doubleday (Youth in Revolt) and Michelle Ang. 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. With Jon Doman (“The Wire”), Mike Vogel (She’s Out of My League) and Ben Shenkman (“Damages”).

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER (PG) I would really rather not return to Narnia for The Silver Chair if that’s OK with you, Twentieth Century Fox. 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. Lucy and Edmund Pevensie (Georgie Henley and Skandar Keynes) escape WWII England for Narnia, sans older siblings Peter and Susan, and again join forces with Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes). Nothing really works in the tedious Narnia 3, which makes this magical kingdom the least interesting fantasy world I’ve visited in some time (maybe since Eragon). A so-so hero’s quest lacks any dramatic thrust or surging narrative flow, and the Pevensies’ obnoxious younger cousin, Eustace (Will Poulter), grates until his big character transformation. By the time Aslan (v. Liam Neeson) showed up to preach a climactic homily, I was eager to return to England and see how the Blitz was progressing.

THE COMPANY MEN (R) See Movie Pick.

DRIVE ANGRY 3D (R) Against my better judgment, I’m kind of excited about this Nic Cage flick. A felon (Cage) escapes from Hell to stop the cult that murdered his daughter from sacrificing her baby. Along for the run from the cult, the police and a killer named the Accountant (the nicely cast William Fichtner) in a sweet muscle car is waitress Piper (Amber Heard, Pineapple Express). For better or worse, director Patrick Lussier gave us My Bloody Valentine 3D. And it’s in 3D! THE EAGLE (PG-13) After August’s Centurion, Rome is all the rage, kind of. Cullman, Alabama native Channing Tatum might not bring to mind Julius Caesar but he could pull off Roman soldier Marcus Aquila, who seeks to redeem the Ninth Legion 20 years after its leader, his dad, disappeared into the Scottish mist. State of Play director Kevin Macdonald and his Last King of Scotland screenwriter that was not Peter Morgan breed a bit of hope, but the smaller, efficient Centurion will be hard to beat. With Donald Sutherland.

THE FIGHTER (R) Mark Wahlberg stars as boxer “Irish” Micky Ward, whose brother, Dick Eklund (Christian

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

ACC LIBRARY (706-613-3650)

The Wind Journeys (NR) 6:30 (Th. 2/24)

CINÉ (706-353-3343)

Awake, My Soul (NR) 7:00 (Th. 2/24) Blue Valentine (R) 5:00, 7:30 (W. 2/23 & Th. 2/24) The Fighter (R) 9:45 (W. 2/23 & Th. 2/24) The Illusionist (PG) 5:30, 7:30, 9:30 (starts 2/25) (no 5:30 show Sa. 2/26) (no 9:30 show Su. 2/27), 1:15 (Sa. 2/26 & Su. 2/27) Oscar Nominated Short Films: Animation (NR) 9:30 (W. 2/23), 5:15 (W. 2/23 & Th. 2/24), 1:00 (Sa. 2/26 & Su. 2/27) Oscar Nominated Short Films: Live Action (NR) 7:15 (W. 2/23 & Th. 2/24), 3:00 (Sa. 2/26 & Su. 2/27) Rabbit Hole (PG-13) 5:15, 7:15, 9:15 (starts F. 2/25) (no 9:15 show Su. 2/27), 3:15 (Sa. 2/26 & Su. 2/27)

UGA TATE CENTER THEATER (706-542-6396)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (PG-13) 3:00, 6:00, 9:00 (F. 2/25-Su. 2/27) The Labyrinth (PG) 8:00 (Th. 2/24) Summer Hours (NR) 8:00 (M. 2/28)

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 ∙ FEBRUARY 23, 2011

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. GNOMEO & JULIET (G) This backyard version of Romeo and Juliet definitely succeeds in its cuteness quotient. The two battling terracotta clans, the Reds and the Blues, contain enough distinctive-looking members.

Too bad the movie doesn’t do a better job establishing this colorful retinue beyond a montage of here and there.

Instead, we focus on the blossoming romance between star-crossed lovers, Gnomeo (v. James McAvoy), son of Lady Blueberry (v. Maggie Smith), and Juliet (v. Emily Blunt), beloved daughter of Lord Redbrick (v. Michael Caine). In between ceramic smooches are lawnmower races against red baddie, Tybalt (v. Jason Statham), and the silly machinations of a loopy pink flamingo (v. Jim Cummings) from an abandoned garden next door. Being a children’s cartoon, most of the true tragedy has been excised by Shrek 2 director Kelly Asbury and the eight other credited screenwriters (not including Bill Shakespeare). Save a couple of inspired supporting turns (Cummings, Ashley Jensen, Ozzy Osbourne), the voice work is as bland as the movie is cute. Gnomeo & Juliet serves its purpose, filling the computer animated family film void until Disney can release something bigger and better (i.e., something made by Pixar).

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. One of my favorite books by one of my favorite satirists gets the new treatment, but I am not excited, though the cowriting credit for Nicholas Stoller (Get Him to the Greek) intrigues.

HALL PASS (R) The Farrelly Brothers new comedy stars Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis as two married men given the freedom to cheat for a week. Of course, when their wives take the same liberties, the boys get a little miffed. The Brothers F have not released a film since 2007’s The Heartbreak Kid. The script has been in some sort of development for five years, ever since Fox bought it from Pete Jones (“Project Greenlight”’s Stolen Summer).

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1 (PG-13) As much as I still cherish this series of books, I just have never been as invested in the film versions.

That lack of true, heartfelt engagement has never shown as brightly as it does now, as the end we all know by heart approaches. I cannot find fault with this flawless penultimate installment of the stalwart franchise.

HEARTBEATS (NR) Twenty-one-yearold Canadian filmmaker Xavier Dolan writes, directs and stars in his caustic, festival-friendly films. (His last film, I

Killed My Mother, won three awards at Cannes.) Two friends, Francis (Dolan) and Marie (Monia Chokri), meet Nicholas (Niels Schneider) at a party.

Soon, the trio has grown quite close.

When Nicholas starts to pull away, Francis and Marie begin to compete for his shrinking attentions. The general critical consensus is that Dolan has a lot of potential but remains a couple of films away from his big breakthrough.

I AM NUMBER FOUR (PG-13) I Am Number Four feels like a feature film pilot for a new CW series to replace “Smallville,” whose creators, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar (with help from “Buffy”’s Marti Noxon), happen to have written Number Four’s script. A powerful orphaned alien, John AKA Number Four (stone-jawed Alex Pettyfer), is on the run from extraterrestrial hunters. With his guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant; are you watching him on “Justified?” If not, you should be), John moves to Paradise, Ohio, where he meets a girl (Dianna Agron, better known as Quinn from “Glee”) and a new pal (Callan McAuliffe). Just when he feels like he’s found a home, the alien hunters (led by the versatile villain Kevin Durand) arrive. Fortunately, so does another powerful teen-lien, Number Six (Teresa Palmer). (The numbers are the order in which these X-Terrestrials must be killed.) Mixing Superman and the X-Men with a tinge of Twilight, I Am Number Four, based on a bestselling book series cowritten under a pseudonym by James Frey (yes, THAT James Frey), probably will not reach the franchise heights to which it aspires.

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.

JUST GO WITH IT (PG-13) Adam Sandler is a hard guy not to like whether or not you think his movies are funny. Unfortunately, in his latest movie, he is neither likable nor funny. A plastic surgeon, Dr. Danny Maccabee, seduces women by faking that he is in a horrible marriage. When he meets a gorgeous, younger, middle school math teacher, Palmer (swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker), he decides he is ready to settle down. Unfortunately, she discovers his fake wedding band, leading Danny to concoct the least plausible, dumbest plan ever. So he can be with Palmer forever, he fakes an entire family, using his stalwart assistant, Katherine (Jennifer Aniston), and her two kids (scene stealer Madison Bailee and Griffin Gluck). I’ll let you guess what happens between Danny and Katherine once they start playing a divorcing couple. This random of mash up of bad ideas, wasted talent (Nicole Kidman, Dave Matthews, Nick Swardson) and misguidedly unfunny scenes that drag on for too long sits firmly in the bottom third of Sandler’s not exactly Oscar-worthy canon.

JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER (G) Justin Bieber: Never Say Never perfectly provides the necessary ratio of hair flips, musical performances and backstage insight to stave off the most fatal symptoms of the Bieber fever raging through the world’s tweens. (According to the movie, the pandemic has now spread to men and women both older and younger.)

Parents and guardians might gain some valuable insight into their child’s condition and also leave humming hideously catchy tunes like “Baby.”

Step Up 2 and 3D director Jon Chu gets the most out of both the concert footage and the overplayed melodrama of Bieber’s swollen vocal cords leading up to THE BIGGEST SHOW OF HIS LIFE. You might not respect the teenage pop sensation from… shudder…

Canada, but he’s damn hard not to like.

Warning: appearances by Miley Cyrus and Jaden Smith might leave some adults shaking their head at the state of youth and fame in our society.

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.

LA MEGLIO GIOVENTU (R) 2003.

Winner of 19 international film awards, including six Davids and Cannes’s Un Certain Regard Award, Marco Tullio Giordana’s 366 minute epic, La Meglio Gioventu, follows the Caratti family from 1966 to 2003. Matteo (Alessio Boni) and Nicola (Luigi Lo Cascio) progress from wild young men to parents through love and tragedy. The film will be screened in multiple parts.

Part of the Cincecitta’ 3 Italian Film Series sponsored by the department of Romance Languages.

LITTLE FOCKERS (PG-13) I can’t quite decide how I feel about this third entry in the Meet the… movie franchise. 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.

MEGAMIND (PG) The year’s second supervillain-as-good-guy animated feature is a much more traditional superhero movie than summer’s pleasantly surprising Despicable Me. 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.

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. Raw language and sexual frankness needs to be an endemic part of the characters, not just shoehorned into a flawed romantic comedy script because it’s the hip thing to do (see Going the Distance for how to mix raunch into a standard romcom). Despite Portman’s efforts, Emma slips into unappealing Katherine Heigl-character territory (I was much more interested in Greta Gerwig’s best friend or Lake Bell’s coworker), and Kutcher continues to lose any appeal he may have once generated.

OF GODS AND MEN (NR) In a Muslim community in North Africa, eight French Christian monks (including Lambert Wilson from the latter two Matrixs and Michael Lonsdale AKA Moonraker’s Hugo Drax) must decide whether to flee in the face of advancing fundamentalist terrorists.

France’s official entry for the 2010 Best Foreign Language Oscar didn’t make the final cut.

OSCAR NOMINATED SHORTS (NR) Ciné brings back the popular Oscar nominated shorts, both live action and animated. This year’s live action lineup includes “The Confession,” Wish 143,” “Na Wewe,” “The Crush” and “God of Love.” This year’s animated lineup includes “Madagascar, Carnet Voyage,” “Let’s Pollute,” “The Gruffalo,” “The Lost Thing” and frontrunner “Day & Night” from Pixar. Also included are the highly commended “Urs” and “The Cow Who Wanted to Be a Hamburger.”

You can’t go wrong with either set of shorts.

RABBIT HOLE (PG-13) 2010. Hedwig and the Angry Inch’s John Cameron Mitchell returns with his third film, Rabbit Hole, based on the Tony Award winning play by David Lindsay-Abaire.

A couple, Becca and Howie Corbett (Golden Globe/Academy Award nominee Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart), must cope with the tragic loss of their young son. With Dianne Weist and Sandra Oh. Nominated for four Independent Spirit Awards including Best Director, Best Male Lead, Best Female Lead and Best Screenplay.

THE ROOMMATE (PG-13) Sure The Roommate is a Single White Female rip-off, but moving the psychotic action to freshman year of college was a brilliant move. Too bad that’s where any brilliance the movie could have achieved ends thanks to the poor scripting prowess of first-time writer Sonny Mallhi (producer of genre efforts both successful, The Strangers, and not, Shutter and Possession). In the dorm lottery, small town transplant Sara (a bland but beautiful Minka Kelly) is paired with native Californian Rebecca (Leighton Meester), who wants to be Sara’s BFF a bit too much. Besides a couple of genuinely crazy, awful acts, Rebecca is more annoying than terrifying, and Kelly’s Sara is way too blind to her roomie’s insanity, which, thanks to the poor script, is obvious from Rebecca’s first appearance. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this crappy movie far more than I should have (how could I not with Billy Zane cast as a skeevy fashion design professor?).

SHELTER (R) A forensic psychiatrist, Cara Harding (Julianne Moore), has her faith and life shaken by a new patient, David (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), whose multiple personalities are all victims of murder. Star-heavy genre fare like Shelter often falls flat (see Gothika). Swedish filmmakers Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein, set to take over the Underworld franchise, were previously responsible for films titled Storm, Snapphanar and, most intriguingly, the short Disco Kung Fu.

SUMMER HOURS (NR) 2008.

The death of their mother strains the bonds of three siblings—two brothers (Charles Berling and Jérémie Renier) and a sister (Juliette Binoche)—as they divvy up not only her prized possessions but their own memories. Written and directed by three-time Palme d’Or nominee Olivier Assayas (Les Destinées Sentimentales, Demonlover and Clean). Part of the French Film Festival, Summer Hours will be introduced by French film specialist Richard Neupert, coordinator of the film studies program in the UGA department of theatre and film studies.

TRON: LEGACY (PG) Having recently reevaluated 1982’s original Tron and discovered a wide open sci-fi universe rife for pop cultural colonization, I have been looking forward to Tron: Legacy. 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. When an all growed up Sam (Garrett Hedlund, the upcoming Country Strong) receives a communication from his estranged dad, the

younger Flynn happens upon the Grid and becomes just the revolutionary capable of dethroning the despotic Clu (Bridges, 20 years younger thanks to CGI). The insanely entertaining Tron: Legacy is the best amusement park ride/laser light show you’ll see at the movies this year.

THREE DEATHS (NR) The Last Station, written and directed by Michael Hoffman, is sprightly, humorous, romantic, terribly sad, and one of the sweeter cinematic surprises of 2010.

In 1910, Leo Tolstoy (Academy Award nominee Christopher Plummer) was 82 years old and in the last year of his life.

Michael R. Katz, CV Starr Professor of Russian Studies at Middlebury College in Vermont, will discuss Tolstoy’s short story, “Three Deaths,” William Nickell’s The Death of Tolstoy and The Last Station.

UNKNOWN (PG-13) Liam Neeson continues his mid-career crisis with another Taken-type vehicle. In Unknown, the giant Irishman stars as Dr. Martin Harris, who suffers a traumatic brain injury in a car accident while visiting Berlin. He wakes from a four-day coma to find that his wife,

Elizabeth (January Jones, “Mad Men”), does not know him and is married to another man (Aidan Quinn), who just so happens to claim he is Dr. Martin Harris. Neeson’s Martin begins to doubt his sanity until a shadowy “they” tries to kill him. Teaming with his cab driver, Gina (Diane Kruger), Martin must discover the truth behind his stolen identity. What starts as a frightening thriller loses steam before the big reveal, which is telegraphed a bit by the presence of certain supporting characters, and totally blows the ending, which could have been tremendously interesting. Unknown is no Taken.

THE WIND JOURNEYS (NR) 2009.

In the villages of northern Colombia, Ignacio Carrillo (Marciano Martinez) was known for playing traditional songs on an accordion reputed to have once belonged to the devil. After the death of his wife, Ignacio begins a quest to return the instrument to its rightful owner. Along the way, the lone musician picks up a spirited teenage apprentice, Fermin (Yull Núñez).

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movie pick Downsized and Despondent THE COMPANY MEN (R) What happened to The Company Men? I saw the trailer, trumpeting its stellar cast—Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper and Kevin Costner—back in the fall. Here in late February, the rare, aboveaverage, adult drama arrives in Athens, for a likely one-week run that begins in the back hallway of Beechwood. Where did TV megaproducer John Wells go wrong in his feature writing and directing debut?

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greatness; you can practically see the oversize bags under his eyes sag with each round of layoffs.

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Ben Affleck Perhaps The Company Men hit too close to home. Bobby Walker (another solid turn from Ben Affleck) has a wife (Rosemarie DeWitt), two kids, a mortage, a Porsche, club dues and a $120,000/year corporate sales job with transportation conglomerate GTX. When the economy tanks, Bobby becomes a victim of downsizing.

Even with the company’s “generous” severance package, Bobby struggles to find a new job. Meanwhile back at GTX, his fatherly boss, Gene McClary (Jones), cannot do anything to help him or anyone else let go by heartless CEO/ McClary’s best friend, James Salinger (Craig T. Nelson), who brags about his cool $22 million a year. Jones brings his usual

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their Porsches is a futile waste of the power of cinematic storytelling. What audience wants to hear multimillionaire Kevin Costner’s “workin’ man,” Jack, tell them how messed up the world is because his brother-in-law Bobby has a potential new $80,000/year job? Doubtfully any. Sure, the real bad guys are the fat cat CEOs who fire people one day and give themselves bonuses the next, but an unemployed company man who scoffs at $60,000/year doesn’t quite scream hero.

Well-acted and far from bad, The Company Men is produced with the above-average quality of the HBO movie it should have been.

Drew Wheeler

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FEBRUARY 23, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

13

threats & promises record reviews Music News And Gossip The days are already getting longer, and lucky for you there’s plenty of news to fill that time. This week’s samples are below…

In Memoriam: Our deepest sympathies go out to the members and extended family of Widespread Panic. Equipment manager Garrie Vereen was found dead at his home on the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 16. Vereen was a 20-year member of the band’s crew and by all accounts was beloved by friends and fans alike. This heartbreaking news came just as the band had played a pair of sold-out hometown shows and stood before the Georgia General Assembly in honor of its 25 years of “music, service, charity and longevity.”

Donations in support of the Vereen family can be made to The Vereen Family Trust c/o First American Bank & Trust, 300 College Ave., Athens, GA, 30601.

Be There on Time: A rare live show by The Jersey Barrier will happen Wednesday, Mar. 2 at the Caledonia Lounge.

Following the band’s 2008 release, Steady Pace in the Slow Lane, member Carolyn McLanahan moved to Colorado and member Greg Harmelink (Kincaid) became a father to two. The show this night will be a departure for Harmelink as it will involve mostly loops and electronic accompaniment performed by only himself and McLanahan as opposed to a full band. Harmelink has long been one of my favorite songwriters, and I can’t imagine R.E.M. having gone through the ‘90s without his music. The Jersey Barrier will play first this night and after them will be KING/COBB, North Carolina’s Dylan Gilbert and Arturo in Letto.

Repeat: As mentioned in the Feb. 9 Threats and Promises, The Sprockets Music Video Competition will return this year. The deadline for entries is Apr. 1. The Sprockets Music Video Show will happen June 18 at the 40 Watt Club, and the winners will be announced at The Flagpole Athens Music Awards on June 23 at the Morton Theatre. Please note, however, that Sprockets is not affiliated or associated with AthFest as previously reported. I apologize for the error. Entry forms are now available over at www.filmathens.net.

Something in the Air: Noise/industrial/ambient lifer Eric Lunde (Boy Dirt Car, XCHDX, Trait) and his wife Julia Cross will travel from Minneapolis to Athens early next month to participate in ATHICA’s “Taking Part” exhibition. The pair’s specific performance, “Localized Noise-Induced Transitions: The Athens Survey: A Found Sound and Image Report,” will feature found and initiated sounds and images from Athens. This is where you come in: the pair is seeking help from locals to advise them on “acoustically intriguing geographical and architectural sites,” contributing sound elements, etc.

Technical support and recording assistance is also needed, and it’d be great if anyone has direct access to, or knows how to gain legal access, to some abandoned buildings, factories, empty land and the like for this

14

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 23, 2011

project. Lunde really doesn’t want to get into a trespassing situation. The pair will record in Athens Mar. 2–6 and will present their findings in the afternoon on Mar. 6 at ATHICA. To participate and help out, please drop a line to Eric Lunde via trait@live.com. For more information on the kind of stuff he does, please see www.traitcentral.com.

Your File-est Hour: R.E.M. fans all over the world have really taken to the band’s new remix project. Producer Jacknife Lee made available all the individual tracks for the new song “It Happened Today” in both AIFF files and Garage Band files. Remixes of the song started pouring in the day the files were released. As one might expect, they run the

n

gamut from pretty awesome to pretty bad, but it’s pretty phenomenal how immediate the reaction was, and I think it’s a pretty cool street-level thing to do. Want to try your hand? Well, head to www.remhq.com to get the files and then upload your remix to www. soundcloud.com/groups/iht-remix.

Hands Across the Sea: Maserati leaves for a European tour early next month and will play the Czech Republic, Moscow, Italy, France, Norway, Greece, Luxembourg, Germany and Sweden. The German dates, as well as the date in Prague, will have the band playing with krautrock legend Günter Schickert. After a handful of days off, the band will set out for a U.S. tour which will take the entirety of April and run out to the West Coast, the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest and then back home to play the 40 Watt on Apr. 29. In other news, Maserati’s track “Monoliths” (from the group’s 2009 album Passages) was featured in the Valentine’s Day broadcast of popular game show “Jeopardy.” The episode was titled “Human vs. Machine: IBM Challenge” and humans played against a new super-intelligent computer named WATSON. Video of the episode is available on YouTube. The stoners among you will notice that Maserati’s music begins at 4:20 into the clip. Whoa, dude!

Keep up with other happenings over at www. ihaveadagger.net. For more information on WATSON, please see www.ibm.com/innovation/ us/watson.

Gordon Lamb threatsandpromises@flagpole.com

LULLWATER Silhouette Spectra Some rock bands stake their reputation on thoughtful songwriting. Others, like Athens act Lullwater, demand listeners’ attention through energy alone. On “Worse by Better,” the opening (and most single-worthy) track on Silhouette, frontman John Strickland comes across as a bombastic, cocksure singer without much regard for, well, much of anything.

Strickland’s lyrics are much like Lullwater’s music: banal, angry, vaguely reminiscent of a trove of 1990s grunge acts and amped up to ear-splitting levels. The song, about a romantic relationship gone south, is a distillation of all the well-worn tricks of last decade’s mainstream rock radio: fat electric guitar power chords, clear, snappy drums and enough melodic hooks to keep the song in your head for days.

On later tracks, particularly album closer “Faithful Sinners,” Lullwater shows off some sonic diversity with Old 97’s-influenced folk. This, as in just about every other track on Silhouette, shows off both the best and worst of Lullwater. On the plus side, the production quality is more accomplished than just about any band of Lullwater’s stature. And, for fans of Pearl Jam or any of its descendants, there are enough meaty bits and reliable guitar jamming to keep the faithful, um, faithful. And the truth is, bands like Lullwater build their reputation on a couple of good songs and the conviction with which they play them.

Mark Sanders

YUCK

Some of the more temperate songs showcase range and clear-eyed intimacy; the best being “Shook Down.”

But Yuck is simply life-affirming when it cranks up the fuzz and lets its soul loose, like on cathartic, top-down rocker “Operation” and the ragged, jangly “Georgia.” But “Get Away” and “The Wall” are instant classics.

Heart-wringingly tuneful and liberating, they’re a couple of the most crushworthy rock songs heard in ages.

Immediate, consistent and spirited, few are injecting indie nostalgia with as much tune, tone and freshness as Yuck.

All its early buzz is completely validated with this album, and it’s likely to still be standing at year’s end as a superlative.

This is music to lose your shit to.

Bao Le-Huu

DEERHOOF Deerhoof vs. Evil Polyvinyl Deerhoof kicks the modern-day evils of apathy and complacency out the window with its latest album, Deerhoof vs. Evil. The genre changes from album to album and song to song, but Deerhoof’s electro, jangly cooing is unmistakable in its basic message of triumph. Satomi Matsuzaki’s highpitched voice gently narrates over skewed tones and synthesized rock.

Varied world instruments make lovely and restrained additions to the precisely structured chaos, sounding like an enraptured chef—adding electronic sounds here, just a pinch of guitar riff, drums to taste and something secret.

The elements may be harsh, but the result is reassuring and almost dreamy. Aimless wails and short drum bursts steadily build unfamiliar song structures that ebb into cheerful clinking. “Super Duper Rescue Heads!” sounds like the soundtrack to a utopian video game where you are eternally winning, soaring through space accumulating computer-animated gold, fruit and life points. In the arena of Deerhoof vs. Evil, the enemies are both brightly colored cartoon monsters that explode on impact and sneaky, snaking forces that must be forced out with innovation and perseverance. Deerhoof: 1.

Sydney Slotkin

Yuck Fat Possum The ‘90s have been creeping back into indie rock lately, but almost no one is doing it with the warmth and perfection of London’s Yuck.

Romancing that decade’s dawning, the debut full-length by Fat Possum’s brand-new star shimmers between the broken-in wrinkles of Dinosaur Jr. and Teenage Fanclub. Though set in cozy rumples, Yuck’s bursting, swollen-heart pop penmanship—diamond-etched and glorious—is what gives breath to this record. Dress that verve up in beefy guitars and woozy distortion and you’ve got something worth sinking your teeth into.

LUBEC Nothing Is Enough Acme Thunderer Hailing from Richmond, VA, Lubec has dubbed its noisy, fuzz-drenched

shoegaze as “sculpt-rock.” In its debut EP, Nothing Is Enough, Lubec has managed to capture something of the essence of Old Dominion’s underground house shows: the sound is abrasive and thick, distorted and lo-fi, yet bursting with spontaneity and a tinge of anarchy.

For instance, in “Your Magic Wand,” when Eddie Charlton sings “Believe me when I say I’m trying here,” a roaring guitar bursts in out of nowhere, hitting the listener like a brick in the face. Later on in the song, you can briefly hear the crackle of cell phone static in someone’s speaker. Part of Lubec’s youthful charisma is that they clearly aren’t sugar-coating anything. The chatter of a party in “Cherry Adair” furthers the impression that the recording is coming straight out of a basement somewhere.

While über-hissy distorted guitar is the crux of Lubec’s sound, it positively overwhelms the mix more often than not, and at times it’s difficult to hear anything but. In “Gang Knife Battles,” for example, multiple vocal harmonies fight to be heard above the track’s overall white noise. That being said, Lubec is best when listeners just let themselves be enveloped in the mayhem without worrying about, say, the notes of a particular keyboard part or what Charlton is actually singing. In a dingy basement, surrounded by beers and friends, that’s not what’s important anyway.

John Granofsky

LA SERA La Sera Hardly Art Considering the mighty underground rise of her other band, the iron couldn’t be any hotter for Vivian Girls’ bassist Katy Goodman to strike with her latest muse, La Sera. This brandnew Brooklyn band largely sheds the scrappy noise-pop leanings of VG and gazes instead through a softer, more sonorous looking glass. This debut is amply rendered in the oldies currents and echoing nostalgic washes that are white-hot right now. But the edges are softer, dreamier and more sophisticated than VG. Besides its styling and pacing, La Sera’s lush choral layering distinguishes this band as something more crafted and evolved.

Picks include the childlike folk-pop innocence of “Left This World” and “I Promise You,” a lovely, moody meditation that sounds straight off a rare ‘50s B-side. But nothing enthralls as much as the Phil Spector-like rhythm and girth of “Never Come Around.”

With no song even hitting the three-minute mark, La Sera’s music still retains the efficiency of pop and punk.

It’s just that its lingering mien is something that’s more interested in washing over you like the slo-mo waves of a bath-warm sea. Most importantly, this material is anything but the secondary chaff of a side project. La Sera already has its own two legs.

Bao Le-Huu

Form a Sign O ne of the joys of recorded music is that it offers both the artist and the listener an alternative to the fleeting nature of music in a live setting. Concert-going consists mainly of experiencing the music on stage without the chance to recall that experience again, but listening to records is more complex because records isolate the source of experience. Listening to a record more than once, you react differently each time, though what causes your reaction—the music—stays constant. Repeated listening allows you to reflect on the source of experience by creating a never-ending succession of new experiences.

You grow familiar with a record through reactions that are, to an extent, always unfamiliar.

All this to say that Grape Soda’s debut record, Form a Sign, serves as both a faithful document of the band’s live show and a cohesive statement in its own right. While the record’s success derives in no small part from the pair’s considerable talents, singer/organist Mat Lewis also credits the recording process.

“We had always practiced and recorded in a room in my house, and we met somebody, Bill Fortenberry, [who] came and recorded a live set-up of ours. He had this really cool portable rig, [and] we really liked the way it sounded in that big room. We had to take breaks for noise violations, [but] we basically just recorded the album over three days and over the next few months…” The result is a record that “stays truer to a fast-paced live set.”

The duo, which consists of Mat on keys and vocals and brother Ryan Lewis on drums, have had plenty of opportunity to hone their craft. Since forming in 2008, Grape Soda has played frequently at venues around town.

The chemistry between the brothers lends an added bombast to the concise pop songs they play. Organ and drums interact with impressive precision, leaving no empty space. The nature of a two-man-band allows for this dynamic.

As Mat explains, “It makes each person’s role in the band that much more important.” Also important is the brothers’ history of working with one another: “It’s a lot easier to have someone who you’ve known and worked creatively with for so many years who knows what you’re trying to say, especially with something as abstract as music.”

The music’s structure reflects the pareddown setup of the group. As Mat puts it, “It’s minimalist in terms of the songs. Maybe two of them are over three minutes. We try and take an approach that is the shortest distance to where we want to go.”

Though this formula works well for Grape Soda, the band is not averse to changing things up. To that end, this Friday’s release show at the Caledonia Lounge will feature an expanded line-up. The band will be joined by prominent local musicians Jace Bartet, Luke Fields and Jeff Tobias. Mat explains the reasoning behind the change in terms of exploring more options. “I think that a problem any duo will have, especially if that duo does not include a bassist, is that people will tell you, ‘Oh, you guys should really have a fuller sound; you should get a bassist in there; you should have a guitar.’ We wanted to have a record release show that was fun and a big deal—not because it was arbitrary, but because we were doing something new and exciting. The idea may originally have been Luke’s. We wanted to explore the untapped potential of a full band.”

The songs on Form a Sign benefit from added touches that are, of necessity, absent from the live show. These additions serve to round out the sound, providing the listener with a more varied experience of the record.

The crowd this Friday can expect something similar from the five-man incarnation of Grape Soda, a new context in which the songs can expand and take on new shapes. That isn’t to say, however, that adding bandmembers doesn’t present other difficulties. “It’s funny having full band practices; we load our gear in for every practice and we set up. With me and Ryan, we drink a beer, go through the set a few times and, boom, we’re done.”

at Hotel Indigo-Athens

Mike White · deadlydesigns.com

Celebrating the Release of

Weekly Events

Grape Soda

Come enjoy the beautiful weather at Hotel Indigo-Athens ...

WEDNESDAY - 2/23

Canine Cocktail Hour 5-7p on The Madison Patio Pet-friendly $3 Salty-Dogs & Greyhounds

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Live After Five 6p on The Madison Patio Featuring Carl Lindberg playing blues with guest Betsy Franck

FRIDAY - 2/25

Local Libations The Madison Bar & Bistro Enjoy $5 specialty cocktails

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Marshall Yarbrough

WHO: Grape Soda, The New Sound of Numbers, Dead Dog WHERE: Caledonia Lounge WHEN: Friday, Feb. 25, 10 p.m.

HOW MUCH: $5 (21+), $7 (18+)

FEBRUARY 23, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

15

The Get Up Kids All Grown Up “Go

read what you wrote in high school,” implores The Get Up Kids’ lead singer and guitarist Matt Pryor.

“Read it as a grown-up and have people tell you that it’s the best stuff that you ever wrote. Read all of the poems and the love letter that you wrote to your girlfriend in high school and remember that in some people’s minds, that is your peak.”

That was the challenge faced by The Get Up Kids as the band reunited not only to tour but record a whole new album of material. It would be easy enough to rest on their laurels, to rehash the hooks and spirit of the band’s Clinton-era beginnings, but Pryor says the band chose to rise above the preconceptions of his devoted following and create something fresh.

Instead of power-chord pop that leaves listeners pounding on their chests, the band has shifted towards a keyboard-bass-and-drums model that hits audiences in their hips. “One of the strengths of our band is our rhythm section, and what came out of the writing process was music that was based around what the bass and drums were doing,” says Pryor.

As the rhythm section and the electronoise of the keyboards turned up, the guitars that were once the focal point of The Get Up Kids’ sound have turned down and gotten weirder. Like the best comic book mad scientists, that shift was all according to plan.

“We kind of went for more of an almost ambient guitar sound. The guitars aren’t there unless they need to be. They aren’t pounding you over the head; instead they are building up the tension and they hit when they need to,” says Pryor.

On paper, There Are Rules sounds like a seismic shift in sound for the band, but according to Pryor, the record really represents the group’s earliest influences coming together… It’s the same set of influences that always defined the band; the ones that left

16

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 23, 2011

the group pigeon-holed into one of the most ambiguous and hotly contested genres around: emo.

“When we started out, we were listening to Rites of Spring and Fugazi, but we were also listening to Weezer and The Cars. We played discordant pop music, but they called it emo,” says Pryor.

While today the emo tag is more closely associated with whiny vocals, asymmetrical hairstyles and guyliner than its punk rock origins, Pryor just shrugs off the label entirely. “I don’t mind it as much anymore. It just means that we’ve been lumped in with the bands that we tour with, which is a nice thing. We’ve been playing for 15 years, and people have always called us emo, and that term means something different to everybody. Emo isn’t a genre or style that means anything specific like ‘reggae’ or ‘bluegrass.’ Every year it means something different,” says Pryor.

Call The Get Up Kids what you will, all that matters is that the band is back and creating some of the best music of its career. The times may be less simple than when the group first burst onto the music scene, but the band appreciates the complications that come with moving forward. Trends, fads and genre titles will come and go, but Pryor is confident that things will work out in the usual Get Up Kids fashion.

“Things are usually wrapped in a happy little pop song,” he says.

Jason Bugg

WHO: The Get Up Kids, Miniature Tigers, Brian Bonz WHERE: 40 Watt Club WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 26, 8 p.m.

HOW MUCH: $18 (adv.)

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Y

ou can never do yourself a bigger favor than refusing to take life too seriously.

Cosmic practical jokes will keep coming your way at a fairly regular clip, and your best defense is probably a graceful gratitude. Adam Jones, drummer/keyboardist of Austin, TX art-pop duo YellowFever (one word, thankyouverymuch), exhibits such a disposition. Calmly speaking to Flagpole while his young son runs amok around a park playground, Jones fields our questions about the many, varied and undeserved eggings his band received in the past year.

For starters, there was the arrest. “We do our own cooking on tour,” Jones begins laconically, “and it was the beginning of our summer tour, and we were going to Houston to play a show and then fly to New York to play the Seaport Music Festival… [Guitarist/ vocalist Jennifer Moore] had brought a cooking knife in her backpack, and when we were going through security they arrested her.”

Moore and Jones, who resemble one another so much they almost seem related, are at least strong evidence that the TSA is not wont to profile. That is to say, they look completely harmless. “She was in jail for 24 hours in Houston, and then they released her, and then she had to go back for a hearing, and then they kinda let it go. They eventually dropped the charges in, like, September or something.

So, that’s over, which is good. But we missed a lot of shows because of that happening and lost a lot of money. We missed our Athens show, actually.”

Following that headache, the band was promptly handed a second one: it seems a name change will soon be in order. “It’s pretty definite. We don’t want to; we keep avoiding it, even though we shouldn’t. This guy that owns the copyright to the name who has a clothing company and a band that plays maybe every two years or something, his lawyer contacted us this last summer saying we needed to change.”

As YellowFever (our YellowFever, not this other YellowFever) keep pretty busy, the band has had a hard time finding the right opportunity to make the switch. While blogging for NPR, former Sleater-Kinney member Carrie

Brownstein (most recently seen co-starring in the laughing-at/laughing-with-hipsters comedy show “Portlandia”) received a copy of YellowFever’s wonderful eponymous debut.

She tapped the duo to come on tour with her new supergroup, Wild Flag, which features ex-Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet Weiss and onetime Helium frontwoman Mary Timony.

“It would’ve been good to change it before that, but they’ve already started making fliers and stuff. We’ve been kicking around names but haven’t really found anything. Maybe we’re in denial. I’m not really sure, but it seems like it’s going to have to happen at this point.”

All of these mounting pains in the ass would probably crush a band of lesser composure, but cool confidence seems to be the basic cell structure of YellowFever. The duo’s concise, unhurried songs are delivered with a deadpan sort of sweetness by Moore and bolstered by exceptionally dexterous keys/ drum double-duty work courtesy of Jones.

With any and all superfluous dressing stripped away (and nary a shade of reverb or delay effects), their bone-dry compositions are all straight-shooting rhythms and malaria-catchy (sorry, how could I not?) hooks. The focus and thoughtfulness required to render songs so perfectly minimal and neatly concentrated would seem hard to come by for a band fraught with so many time-consuming distractions. Jones chalks their success up to the quality of the collaboration.

“It’s great,” he says. “I love making music with Jennifer. It’s been the best band situation I’ve ever been in. Things keep looking up; things keep progressing musically, and we’re able to do more things. We get to travel more.

So, yeah, I’m happy. Things seem good.”

Jeff Tobias

WHO: YellowFever, Tunabunny, Titans of Filth, Cara Beth Satalino WHERE: Farm 255 WHEN: Sunday, Feb. 27 HOW MUCH: FREE!

Jazzchronic

THU. MAR. 3

Dank Sinatra

Comedian

Catch YellowFever

with

Doug Stanhope

with

Jahman Brahman

FRI. MAR. 4

Who’s Bad

FRI. FEB. 25

The Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute HAPPY HOUR:

$2 WELLS and DOMESTICS 9-11pm

Packway Handle Band

706.543.8283

227 W Dougherty St. Downtown Athens

Open Mon-Sat 5pm-2am • All Shows 18+ • $2 for under 21

New Earth Box Office Open Every Day @ 4pm

Advance Tix available at: 42 Degrees - 706-353-4202 Schoolkids Records - 706-353-1666 and online at

www.newearthmusichall.com Check out our new blog!

Congratulations to the 2011 WINN

ER!

“The McCommunists” – Flagpole Magazine 2nd Place: Volo Trading – “The One-Hitters” 3rd Place: Bel-Jean Copy/Print – “80# Cougar”

Round 1 Judges Winner: Caledonia – “Chapped Lips” Fundraising Winner: Flagpole Magazine – “The McCommunists” Crowd Favorite: Sunshine Bicycles – “Gears for Fears”

Special Recognition: Round 2 Judges Winner: Partner Software – “Boy George Clinton” Fundraising Winner: Bel-Jean Copy/Print – “80# Cougar” Crowd Favorite: The Red Zone – “What Up Dawg?”

Round 3 Judges winner: The 40 Watt Club- “40 Cent” Fundraising winner: Volo Trading – “The One-Hitters” Crowd Favorite: State Botanical Garden – “BotJam”

Special Thanks: A very special thanks to everyone 40 Watt Club, Terrapin Brewery, Plexus Web Creations, Nuçi’s Space staff and volunteers, Athens Art & Frame and our Master of Ceremonies Jeff Griggs.

Judges: Parker Gispert (The Whigs), Lisa Love (GA Music Magazine), Julian Dorio (The Whigs), Dewitt Burton (R.E.M.), David Barbe (UGA Music Business Program), Dottie Alexander (Of Montreal), Davey Wrathgabar (The Visitations), Daniel Peiken (Athens Music Super Fan), Brad Morgan (Drive-By Truckers) and Patterson Hood (Drive-By Truckers).

Participating bands: Sunshine Cycles • Wisevest / White Systems / Classic Installations / AutoMax Caledonia Lounge • Flagpole Magazine • The Red Zone • Musician’s Warehouse • Partner Software Hot Breath Glass Studio / L Marie Adams Inc. / Ware Tutoring • D&D Heating & Air Conditioning Thrasher Photography & Design • Hendershot’s Coffee / Jittery Joe’s Tasting Room Baxendale Guitar • Bel-Jean Copy & Print Center • Transmetropolitan • Epting Events • Mama’s Boy The State Botanical Garden of Georgia • 40 Watt • TSAV • Peach Mac • Volo Trading, Inc. • Nuçi’s Space

Nuçi’s Space would like to offer our sincere thanks to everyone who made our inaugural Athens Business Rocks fundraiser a huge success.

You may want to start thinking about how YOUR business will attempt to dethrone our 2011 winner, Flagpole Magazine, in 2012. Best of luck and start practicing...

FEBRUARY 23, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

17

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 22 EVENTS: Athens Jewish Film Festival (Ciné BarCafé) Featuring a lineup of critically acclaimed films that explore the Jewish identity, culture and experience. Special guests include filmmakers and academics.

Feb. 22 & 23. $9. www.athensjff.org EVENTS: Big One Challenge (Fox’s Pizza Den) Eating competition to benefit UGA Relay for Life. The first 48 contestants to register from Twitter with “foxspizzaoconee” will get a 30” pizza for their team. 6:30 p.m. $5 (suggested donation). www.

BigOneChallenge.com EVENTS: “Glory Bound: A Voyage Through the Underground Railroad” (UGA Reed Quad) A guided interactive tour of a mockup of the Underground Railroad.

Attendees will experience the voyage as if they were slaves in search of freedom. 6–9 p.m. FREE! 706-5423753 EVENTS: Screening: Donald L. Hollowell: Foot Soldier for Equal Justice (Georgia Center) Film about Hollowell’s service as lead counsel in the Holmes case, his legal victory that won the release of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., from prison and his effective defense of a 15-year-old black youth sentenced to Georgia’s electric chair. 7 p.m.

706-542-1222, emwi@uga.edu EVENTS: Screening: The Whale Warrior (UGA Miller Learning Center) Film exploring the career of militant marine conservationist Paul Watson and his attempts to stop hunters from slaughtering whales.

Part of the Animal Voices Film Festival. 7:30 p.m. FREE! www.uga. edu/sos/filmfest EVENTS: Dmitry Trakovsky (UGA Park Hall) The Germanic and Slavic Studies Department hosts documentary filmmaker Trakovsky and screens his award-winning film, Meeting Andrei Tarkovsky. 7 p.m.

FREE! www.trakovskyfilm.com PERFORMANCE: Bawling Comedy Showcase (Bailey’s American Tavern) A stellar stand-up comedy open mic featuring some of the best up-and-coming comdians from all over. 9 p.m. $3. 706-543-7170, www.bawlingcomedy.com PERFORMANCE: UGA Wind Symphony (UGA Hodgson Hall) Presented by the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. 8 p.m. 706-5423737, www.music.uga.edu 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

18

KIDSTUFF: Kids’ Beginning Art (Whole: Mind. Body. Art.) Children are exposed to basic techiniques and encouraged to be creative. Materials provided. Tuesdays, 5–6 p.m. $10 (adv.) $12 (drop-in). 706-410-0283 KIDSTUFF: Open Craft Hour (Treehouse Kid and Craft) For ages 2–8. Past projects have included puppets, wreaths, mittens and snowflakes. 4 p.m. $10. 706-850-8226 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. Trainer always present.

First come, first served. 3:30–4:30 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 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) Martha Phillips, retired from the UGA School of Law, will discuss the basics for writing your first novel.

Feel free to bring a lunch to this 45-minute program. 12:15 p.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 LECTURES & LIT.: “Building an Effective Climate Change Coalition for Athens” (UGA Ecology Building) Panel discussion with local environmental activists. 7 p.m. FREE! 706-202-7802, richrusk@charter.net LECTURES & LIT.: Ecology Seminar (UGA Ecology Building) Kristen L. Navara discusses “Hormone-mediated Sex Ratio Adjustment in Birds: Physiological Mechanisms and Adaptive Implications.” 4 p.m. FREE! www. ecology.uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: “Global Diseases: Voices from the Vanguard Lecture” (UGA Chapel) “Parasite vs. Mosquito in the Jungles of Papua New Guinea,” presented by parasitologist Bruce Christensen. 5:30 p.m. 706-5425038, murrayd@uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: Don Moseley (Borders Books & Music) Original founder of Habitat for Humanity and co-founder of Jubilee Partners, Moseley will discuss his new book, Faith Beyond Borders: Doing Justice in a Dangerous World, focusing on the current crisis in North Korea. 7 p.m. FREE! 706-583-8647 LECTURES & LIT.: Eileen Myles (UGA Park Hall) Professor Emeritus of Writing at UC San Diego and Shelley Prize winner Myles speaks at a coffee hour and Q&A session.

10:30 a.m. www.eileenmyles.com LECTURES & LIT.: Visiting Artist and Scholar Series Lecture (UGA Lamar Dodd School of Art Galleries, S151) David Humphrey, Spring Lamar Dodd Professorial Chair. 5:30 p.m. 706-542-0116

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 23, 2011

MEETINGS: Safe Space Training (UGA Memorial Hall, Room 238) Interactive workshop to raise awareness and knowledge of LGBT issues and to suggest ways to serve as an ally to LGBT individuals. Online registration required. 8:30 a.m–12 p.m. FREE! 706-542-4077, safe@ uga.edu 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

Wednesday 23 EVENTS: Athens Jewish Film Festival (Ciné BarCafé) Featuring a lineup of critically acclaimed films that explore the Jewish identity, culture and experience. Special guests include filmmakers and academics.

Feb. 22 & 23. $9. www.athensjff.org 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: Friends of the Library Winter Book Sale (Perimeter Square) Annual book sale with thousands of titles available. Feb. 23, 6–8 p.m., Feb. 24 & 25, 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Feb. 26, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 ext. 344 EVENTS: Georgia Theatre Session Beer Dinner (The Melting Point) A four-course meal paired with Terrapin’s Georgia Theatre Session beers. A portion of the proceeds benefit the Theatre. 6 p.m. $50. www.meltingpointathens. com EVENTS: GSPHE Vigil and Rally (UGA Arch) Join concerned students and community members in support of better funding for K–12 and higher education in Georgia. 4:30–5:30 p.m. FREE! www.georgiastudents.org PERFORMANCE: Faculty Solo Recital Series (UGA Ramsey Concert Hall) Harpist Monica Hargrave performs. 8 p.m. FREE! (students), $5. 706-542-3737, moniharp2@aol.com PERFORMANCE: Recital (UGA Ramsey Concert Hall) Bart Walters, saxophone. 6 p.m. FREE! 706-5423737, www.music.uga.edu 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.: “Breaking the Gender Barrier” (UGA Miller Learning Center, Room 213) A look

Awake My Soul, a documentary that explores the traditions of Sacred Harp singing, is at Ciné on Thursday, Feb. 24. at the 30-year struggle for women to be admitted to UGA. 3:35 p.m. FREE! 706-542-4849 LECTURES & LIT.: Exit Seminar (UGA Life Sciences Building) “RNase Activity in Escherichia Coli and the Role of RNA Processing in Gene Expression,” sponsored by the Department of Genetics. 4 p.m.

FREE! whites@uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: Oconee Democrats Book Group (Taco Stand) Discussing Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs. 7 p.m. FREE! patricia. priest@yahoo.com LECTURES & LIT.: Tolstoy’s Three Deaths: Fact, Fiction and Film (UGA Miller Learning Center, Room 248) A discussion of Tolstoy’s short story “Three Deaths” (1859), William Nickell’s book The Death of Tolstoy and the film The Last Station. 4 p.m. FREE! 706-542-3663, pettik@ uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: “Western Greeks and Their Neighbors” (UGA Miller Learning Center, Room 248) Discussion on the various aspects of Western Greek art with a particular focus on their sources of influence and artistic exchange. 7:30 p.m. FREE! jcook@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) Learn about the creation of Daughters for Change and meet the founders. 7:30–8:30 p.m. FREE! 404-751-6838 MEETINGS: GSPHE Meeting (UGA Miller Learning Center, Room 247) Georgia Students for Public Higher Eduction is a coalition of students who believe that affordable, quality education is a right. 8 p.m. FREE! georgiastudents.org 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 (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 24 EVENTS: Friends of the Library Winter Book Sale (Perimeter Square) Annual book sale with thousands of titles available. Feb. 23, 6–8 p.m., Feb. 24 & 25, 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Feb. 26, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 ext. 344 EVENTS: iFilms: The Wind Journeys (ACC Library) The story of Ignacio Carrillo, an accordion player, and a spirited teenaged named Firmin who traverse the vast terrain of Colombia and discover the musical diversity of Caribbean culture. 6:30 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 EVENTS: “Screening: Awake, My Soul: The Story of the Sacred Harp” (Ciné BarCafé) A documentary film presented by the Athens Area Shape-note Singers.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers Matt and Erica Hinton and an introductory lesson on shape-note singing with area singers. 7 p.m. $5 (suggested donation). www.awakemysoul.com EVENTS: Wine Tasting (Aromas) A casual blind tasting event. You taste and rate, then 5 Points Bottle Shop will tally, score and feature the top favorite bottles in their shop. 6–8 p.m. $10 (8 wines). 706-543-6989 EVENTS: Wine Tasting (La Dolce Vita) French and Italian selections with light appetizers in conjunction with ABC Package & Northeast Sales Distributing. 6–8 p.m. $20. 706353-3911 ART: Drawing in the Galleries (Georgia Museum of Art) Open hours for visitors to sketch in the galleries using graphite or colored pencils. 5–8 p.m. FREE! collardj@ uga.edu PERFORMANCE: Charlie Albright (Performing Arts Center) This 21-year-old pianist has performed with such legends as cellist Yo-Yo Ma. He is the Artist in Residence for Harvard University’s Leverett House.

8 p.m. $25, FREE! (UGA students with a valid UGA ID). 706-542-4400 PERFORMANCE: Comedy Night (New Earth Music Hall) Local comedian Matt Gilbert teams up with Doug Stanhope, a comedian known for his vulgar and honest storytell-

ing. 8 p.m. $15. www.newearthmusichall.com PERFORMANCE: Inspired to Be Free (Morton Theatre) Students of the East Athens Educational Dance Center perform tap, ballet, jazz, modern and hip-hop dance selections. Feb. 24, 9:30 & 11:30 a.m., Feb. 25 & Feb. 26, 7 p.m., Feb. 27, 3 p.m. $10 (adv.), $12. www.mortontheatre.com PERFORMANCE: Music Therapy Musicale (Edge Recital Hall) Sponsored by the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. 8 p.m. 706-5423737, www.music.uga.edu KIDSTUFF: Homeschoolers Chapter Book Review (Madison County Library) Elementary schoolage homeschoolers gather at the library to read a book together and talk about it. Every Thursday. 2 p.m.

FREE! 706-795-5597 KIDSTUFF: Open Craft Hour (Treehouse Kid and Craft) For ages 2–8. Past projects have included puppets, wreaths, mittens and snowflakes. 4 p.m. $10. 706-850-8226 KIDSTUFF: Spanish for Kids (Treehouse Kid and Craft) Vocabulary mixed with dance, song, theater, games and other activities.

10 a.m. $10. 706-850-8226 LECTURES & LIT.: Georgia Colloquium in 18th and 19th Century Literature (UGA Park Hall, Room 265) Discussion on Foucault’s work on sexuality and madness in 18th-century Britain.

4:30 p.m. FREE! www.cencl.uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: Lecture and Book Signing (GMOA) Peter Wood, author of Near Andersonville: Winslow Homer’s Civil War. 5 p.m.

FREE! collardj@uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: “Natural Law, God and Human Dignity” (UGA Chapel) Robert George of Princeton University discusses law, politics and bioethics. 4 p.m. FREE! mustard@terry.uga.edu MEETINGS: Clarke County Democratic Meeting (Clarke County Courthouse, Grand Jury Room) Elections for Democratic Party of Georgia State Committee members to represent Clarke County. 6 p.m. FREE! 706-202-7515

Friday 25 EVENTS: Friends of the Library Winter Book Sale (Perimeter Square) Annual book sale with thousands of titles available. Feb. 23,

“Presidents and the Economy.” 3:30 p.m. FREE! 706-542-4147, jmaltese@uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: Re-enactment and Panel Discussion (UGA Hirsch Hall) Exploring the legal trial that desegregated UGA, followed by a panel discussion with guest speakers. 3:30 p.m. FREE! jbirch@ uga.edu, www.law.uga.edu/february2011event LECTURES & LIT.: Romance Languages Colloquium (UGA Gilbert Hall, Room 115) Monica Diaz presents “Religious Native American Women in New Spain and New France: Possibilities for a Hemispheric Approach.” 3:30 p.m.

FREE! dbultman@uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: Sociology Colloquium (UGA Miller Learning Center, Room 250) Dawn Robinson presents “Modeling Arabic and American Linguistic Cultures.”

2:30 p.m. FREE! 706-583-8072, jeremyr@uga.edu MEETINGS: Community Forum (UGA Main Library) Russell Forum will host “Economic Security: How Should We Take Charge of Our Future?” to consider strategies for rebuilding U.S. economic security now and for future generations.

3:30–5 p.m. FREE! www.libs.uga. edu/russell/rfclg

Athens AUTO AUCTION 770-725-7676

BOGART THAT CAR!

SALE EVERY TUESDAY!

at 6:30pm

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! 5050 Atlanta Hwy • Bogart, GA

www.athensautoauctionga.com Friends of the Athens-Clarke County Library

Saturday 26 EVENTS: Athens Home and Garden Show (The Classic Center) Featuring displays and seminars on the latest in home decor, landscaping, construction and more. Kids’ Corner features family activities.

Presented by the Athens Area Home Builders Association. Feb. 26, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Feb. 27, 12–5 p.m. $7. www.onlineathens.com/homeshow EVENTS: Boule on Bourbon Street (The Classic Center) A fundraising event for the American Cancer Society will transform the Classic Center into the French Quarter with live music by Grains of Sand and Men in Blues, a live auction, oyster roast, Cajun-style food, dancing and games. SOLD OUT! Call for waiting list, 706-549-4893, www. bouleonbourbon.com EVENTS: Disability Services Expo & Mini-Conference (The Classic Center) Exhibits providing valuable information to people with disabilities and their families, covering education, employment, support groups, recreation and insurance and health care financing. 8 a.m.– 1 p.m. FREE! EVENTS: Friends of the Library Winter Book Sale (Perimeter Square) Annual book sale with thousands of titles available. Feb. 23, 6–8 p.m., Feb. 24 & 25, 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Feb. 26, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 ext. 344 EVENTS: Live Financially Reinvented (Community) An artists’ market with complimentary treats. Artisans include: Nick Canada from NICO, Amanda Jane from Little Cuckoo Chocolates, Kayla Cox and more. 3–6 p.m. FREE! livefinancially@gmail.com ART: Art and Crafts Show (The Omni Club) Featuring work by local artists. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. 706-3693111 ART: Closing Reception (White Tiger Gourmet Food & Chocolates) For an art show featuring ink and paper works by Kirin Fernandes and mixed media dioramas and sculpture

by Havivah Z. Saltz. 6 p.m. FREE! 706-353-6847 PERFORMANCE: Inspired to Be Free (Morton Theatre) See Feb. 24 listing. Feb. 24, 9:30 & 11:30 a.m., k continued on next page

WINTER

6–8 p.m., Feb. 24 & 25, 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Feb. 26, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 ext. 344 ART: Artful Conversation (Georgia Museum of Art) Carissa DiCindio, curator of education, discusses Elizabeth Jane Gardner’s “La Confidence.” 2 p.m. FREE! collardj@ uga.edu ART: Opening Reception (OCAF) Egg tempera portraits, commanding landscapes and trompe l’oeil paintings by Christy Green. 6–8 p.m.

FREE! 706-769-4565, www.ocaf.com ART: Painting and Drawing Open Studios (Lamar Dodd School of Art, Room 365) Meet UGA MFA candidates in Drawing and Painting. Light refreshments provided. 6–9 p.m.

FREE! jaimebull@gmail.com PERFORMANCE: Inspired to Be Free (Morton Theatre) See Feb. 24 listing. Feb. 24, 9:30 & 11:30 a.m., Feb. 25 & Feb. 26, 7 p.m., Feb. 27, 3 p.m. $10 (adv.), $12. www.mortontheatre.com PERFORMANCE: StarQuest (The Classic Center) Dance competition with scholarships, free master classes, cash prizes and giveaways.

919-363-2900, www.starquestdance. com THEATRE: The Darker Places Trilogy (Memorial Park, Quinn Hall) Three one-acts, Attic, Basement and Crawlspace, that each take place in a different room of a disturbed young man’s house and metaphorically, his body. 8 p.m. $10–15. www.circleensembletheatre.com THEATRE: Frankenstein Lives!

(Piedmont College) Rose of Athens Theatre chronicles the life of young gothic novelist Mary Shelley in this performance which explores some uncanny similarities between the artist and her literary creation. 7:30 p.m. $6. 706-778-8500, theatre@ piedmont.edu THEATRE: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (UGA Baptist Collegiate Ministries) Dinner theatre in a Wild West town. Feb. 25 & 26, 6 p.m., $25. Feb. 26 & 27, 1 p.m., $15.

706-549-2747 OUTDOORS: Observatory Open House (UGA Observatory, Physics Building) Roger C. Hunter, alumnus and project manager of the Kepler Mission for NASA speaks at 7 p.m. followed by viewings through a 24-inch telescope at 8 p.m. 7 p.m. FREE! www.physast.uga.edu/ observatory OUTDOORS: Sole Mates (Rocksprings Park) Wellness program for senior adults. Take a stroll around the park. Every Friday. Call to register. 12:30 p.m. $7 (one-time fee). 706-613-3603 KIDSTUFF: Japanese Storytime (ACC Library, Storyroom) Learn about Japanese culture through literacy-based fun. Led by UGA’s Japan Outreach Program. 5 p.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 KIDSTUFF: Youth Game Night (Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens) Kids in grades 6–12 are invited for a night of Magic cards, chess, checkers, Twister and more. 7 p.m. FREE! dre@uuathensga.org LECTURES & LIT.: Classics Colloquium (UGA Park Hall, Room 225) Miriam Jacobson discusses “Eastern Dyes and Rhetorical Colors in Chapman’s Hellespont.” 4:30 p.m.

FREE! nrynears@uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: IWS Friday Speaker Series (UGA Miller Learning Center) This week: “The Elephant in the Room: Sex, Fat, Death and (my) Embodied Feminist Pedagogy.” 12:20 p.m. FREE! 706542-2846, tlhat@uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: Political Science Colloquium (UGA Baldwin Hall, Room 302) James Campbell of SUNY-Buffalo presents

BOOK SALE FEBRUARY 23-26, 2011 Members Only, Feb. 23, 2 - 6 p.m.

Join the Friends at the door!

Regular Sale: Wednesday, Feb. 23 6 - 8 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 24 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 25 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 26 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Location:

Perimeter Square on Huntington Road, off Atlanta Hwy. For information call (706) 613-3650, ext. 344

Your School Band and Orchestra Headquarters

KPs Music Instrument Rentals & Sales

UGA Online Courses

We carry DR Neon Guitar Strings!

• Band instrument rentals starting at $15.00 per month • Brass and Woodwind Repair • Guitar set up and fret work

706-353-0802 240 Collins Industrial Blvd.

Athens

OPEN Weekdays 10-6 Saturdays 10-4

MORE THAN 75 COURSES ONLINE For more information or to register:

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

Independent and Distance Learning (IDL)

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

FEBRUARY 23, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

19

THE CALENDAR! Feb. 25 & Feb. 26, 7 p.m., Feb. 27, 3 p.m. $10 (adv.), $12. www.mortontheatre.com PERFORMANCE: StarQuest (The Classic Center) Dance competition with scholarships, free master classes, cash prizes and giveaways.

919-363-2900, www.starquestdance. com THEATRE: The Darker Places Trilogy (Memorial Park) Three one-acts, Attic, Basement and Crawlspace, that each take place in a different room of a disturbed young man’s house and metaphorically, his body. 8 p.m. $10–15. www.circleensembletheatre.com THEATRE: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (UGA Baptist Collegiate Ministries) Dinner theatre in a Wild West town. Feb. 25 & 26, 6 p.m., $25. Feb. 26 & 27, 1 p.m., $15.

706-549-2747 OUTDOORS: Athens Family Nature Club (Dudley Park) Nature connection for the whole family.

Enjoy stories, games earthskills and nature play at this monthly event. Meet at the parking lot behind Mama’s Boy. 3–5 p.m. FREE! 706224-2490, tommy@wildintelligence. org KIDSTUFF: Storytime & Craft (Treehouse Kid and Craft) Make a craft inspired by the book. 10 a.m. $10. 706-850-8226 www.treehousekidandcraft.com KIDSTUFF: Storytime with Ms. Georgia (ACC Library) Join Christina McCauley, Miss Georgia 2011, for a fanciful afternoon of storytelling. When the stories are over, make your own crown and pose for a photo with the queen. 2:30 p.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 KIDSTUFF: Wildcard Wednesday for Teens (ACC Library) Up next: Steampunk Potion Bottles! Ages 11–18. Space is limited. 4 p.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 LECTURES & LIT.: Book Signing (Dog Ear Books) Pastor Tommy Chatman will be present with his new book, I Am Who I Am Because, in which he illustrates what it takes to live a life that is God-fearing, joyous and prosperous. 1 p.m. FREE! dogearbooks.com MEETINGS: Athens Tracking Club (Peppino’s) Learn to identify and interpret animal tracks and signs.

Discover unexpected metaphors for life. 8:45 a.m.–12 p.m. $15, 706224-2490

Sunday 27 EVENTS: 7th Annual Bridal Open House (Foundry Park Inn & Spa) Attention brides-to-be! Featuring wedding professionals, photographers, florists, event planners, entertainers, a bridal fashion show and more! 2–5 p.m. $10 (adv.), $12.706-549-7020, www.foundryparkinn.com EVENTS: Athens Home and Garden Show (The Classic Center) Featuring displays and seminars on the latest in home decor, landscaping, lighting, cabinetry, construction and more. See Feb. 26 Events. Feb. 26, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Feb. 27, 12–5 p.m. $7. www.onlineathens.com/ homeshow PERFORMANCE: “From the Top” (UGA Hodgson Hall) Christopher O’Riley hosts this classical music radio program that is taped before live audiences in concert halls. This taping at UGA will feature flutist Sir James Galway and several precollegiate classical musicians. 3 p.m. $20–47. 706-542-4400, www. uga.edu/pac

20

Saturday, Feb. 26 continued from p. 19

PERFORMANCE: Inspired to Be Free (Morton Theatre) See Feb. 24 listing. Feb. 24, 9:30 & 11:30 a.m., Feb. 25 & Feb. 26, 7 p.m., Feb. 27, 3 p.m. $10 (adv.), $12. www.mortontheatre.com PERFORMANCE: StarQuest (The Classic Center) Dance competition with scholarships, free master classes, cash prizes and giveaways.

919-363-2900, www.starquestdance. com THEATRE: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (UGA Baptist Collegiate Ministries) Dinner theatre in a Wild West town. Feb. 25 & 26, 6 p.m., $25. Feb. 26 & 27, 1 p.m., $15.

706-549-2747 GAMES: Trivia (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) Weekly Trivia! 7 p.m. FREE! 706-354-6655

Monday 28 EVENTS: Screening: Summer Hours (UGA Tate Center) A portrait of a contemporary French family whose values and traditions are in flux. Part of the French Film Festival.

8 p.m. $2. neupert@uga.edu PERFORMANCE: Recital (UGA Ramsey Concert Hall) Megan Chisom, viola. 6 p.m. 706-5423737, www.music.uga.edu PERFORMANCE: Recital (UGA Ramsey Concert Hall) Joshua Bynum, trombone. 8 p.m. 706-5423737, www.music.uga.edu PERFORMANCE: Sweet Dreams (UGA Tate Center) Local dance company. “The Culmination.” 7:30 p.m.

SOLD OUT! www.uga.edu/union KIDSTUFF: Bedtime Stories (ACC Library) Snuggle in your jammies and listen to bedtime stories. Every Monday. 7 p.m. FREE! 706-6133650 KIDSTUFF: Spanish for Kids (Treehouse Kid and Craft) Vocabulary mixed with dance, song, theater, games and other activities.

10 a.m. $10. 706-850-8226 KIDSTUFF: Turtles and Salamanders and Snakes, Oh My! (Oconee County Library) Members of the UGA Herpetology Society will bring snakes and other native herptofauna for show. 7 p.m.

FREE! 706-353-8310 LECTURES & LIT.: Closing Lecture (Georgia Museum of Art) For the 50th Anniversary of Desegregation. 3 p.m. FREE! 706542-0437, timbrown@uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: Goodbye Blue Monday Poetry Open Mic (Dog Ear Books) Every 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month. For musicians’ open mic, drop by on the 1st or 3rd Mondays. 8 p.m. FREE! 706818-0976 LECTURES & LIT.: Josh Weil (Ciné BarCafé) Weil, Author of The New Valley will read from his work.

Sponsored by the VOX Reading Series. 8 p.m. FREE! www.joshweil. com MEETINGS: Classic City Woodturners Meeting (Clarke Central High School) A presentation of wood lathe techniques. 6 p.m. classiccitywoodturners.com GAMES: Team Trivia (Beef ‘O’ Brady’s) Every Monday night. Bring your friends! 8:30 p.m. FREE! 706850-1916 GAMES: Trivia (Blind Pig Tavern) Think you know it all? 8 p.m. 706548-3442 GAMES: Trivia (Highwire) Compete with friends for a $100 bar tab at Highwire Lounge. Come early to register your team. Every Monday.

8 p.m. FREE! hirewirelounge@ gmail.com

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 23, 2011

Tuesday 1 EVENTS: National Pancake Day (IHOP Restaurant) In return for free flapjacks, IHOP guests are encouraged to make a donation to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. 7 a.m.–10 p.m. FREE! www.ihoppancakeday.com EVENTS: Screening: The Best of Youth (UGA Miller Learning Center, Room 148) Playing the first of four installments of this film, a family saga spanning the latter half of the 20th century in Italy. 7 p.m. FREE! www.rom.uga.edu ART: Opening Reception (OCAF) Featuring works of art from Oconee County public and private schools, grades K through 12. 2–4 p.m.

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

8 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ flickerbar 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: Open Craft Hour (Treehouse Kid and Craft) For ages 2–8. Past projects have included puppets, wreaths, mittens and snowflakes. 4 p.m. $10. 706-850-8226 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.: Willson Center Lecture (Georgia Museum of Art) William Eiland, Director of the Georgia Museum of Art, delivers a lecture entitled “Strike! A Look at 20th-Centrury American Printmaking.” 4 p.m. FREE! jdingus@uga.edu, www.cha.uga.edu

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: GSPHE Vigil and Rally (UGA Arch) Join concerned students and community members in support of better funding for K–12 and higher education in Georgia. 4:30–5:30 p.m. FREE! www.georgiastudents.org ART: 6X6: “Sentiment” (Ciné BarCafé) Fast, fun and sentimental!

This monthly media arts event combines video, film, sound and performance. “Sentiment” will be curated by filmmaker, musician and educator Matthew Buzzell.

ART: GMOA Tour: Decorative Arts (Georgia Museum of Art) Curator Dale Couch will discuss vernacular versus formal examples, settlement patterns, ethnicity and social history.

2–3 p.m. FREE! collardj@uga.edu

Thursday, February 24

The District Attorneys, Woodfangs, Thomas Galloway 40 Watt Club There’s something about seeing your band’s name up on the marquee of the 40 Watt Club that makes you want to The District Attorneys raise your game to its highest level, especially if you’re The District Attorneys. The band has been gaining speed, building up more of a presence on its home turf around Athens and Atlanta. But the rock and rollers are just getting started. After all, they need to make a dent in the large backlog of songs they’ve been hoarding.

“We want to try out some new songs that we’ve been working on,” says singer Drew Beskin. “You know, a lot of stuff that inspires us is from books or movies. I mean, we haven’t had a lot of time to experience life stuff yet, but we want to take that feeling and make it musical and draw from what we have lived.”

Judging by the tunes on the band’s debut EP, Orders From…, these boys have lived a life of summers. The mix of reverb-laden guitars and vocals paired with a driving rhythm and lush harmonies creates the perfect soundtrack for a hazy late-afternoon. Turn up “Splitsville” and get doused in country-rock-tinged jubilation. “Going to Carolina” evokes the long, winding road up the Eastern seaboard, and “Jerry Ten” manages to merge a laid-back, West Coast vibe with Southern twang. Life’s a beach, and you better believe that The District Attorneys want to be the tunes drifting out of your boom box on a sunny day.

“I’d like to think of us as a good driving band,” says Beskin. “I love to drive around and listen to music, and I think our kind of style is good for that.”

The band’s style is also well-suited to live shows, turning any concert into a rousing, rocking sing-along.

“We’re excited about the show,” says Beskin. “We’re going to pull out all the stops and give it all we’ve got. I just hope everyone has as much fun as we do.” [Jordan Stepp]

PERFORMANCE: Contemporary & Aerial Dance Concert (UGA Dept. of Dance Carver Studio) Experience the thrill and drama of CORE Concert Dance Company performing and flying in original choreography of contemporary, aerial and bungee dances by artistic director Bala Sarasvati and guest artists. 8 p.m. $10 (students), $15. 706-542-8579, www.dance.uga.edu 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.: 19th Annual Darl Snyder African Studies Lecture (Georgia Center) Nwando Achebe of Michigan State University presents “Journeys Through African Womanhood: Painting a CounterNarrative.” 10 a.m. FREE! jkidula@ uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: Genetics Seminar (UGA Life Sciences Building, Room B118) “When Transgenes Wander, Should We Worry?” presented by Norm Ellstrand, department of botany and plant sciences, UC Riverside. 4 p.m.

FREE! whites@uga.edu LECTURES & LIT.: Word of Mouth (The Globe) Monthly open poetry readings every first Wednesday.

8 p.m. FREE! www.athenswordofmouth.com MEETINGS: GSPHE Meeting (UGA Miller Learning Center, Room 247) Georgia Students for Public Higher Eduction is a coalition of students who believe that affordable, quality education is a right. 8 p.m. FREE! georgiastudents.org MEETINGS: High Speed Rail Forum (The Classic Center) Discussion moderated by Russell Edwards on the High Speed Rail Plan and the “Brain Train,” a passenger rail corridor from Athens to Atlanta. RSVP. 5 p.m. (mixer), 6 p.m. (meeting). FREE! 770-296-9945 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

Down the Line KIDSTUFF: Second Saturday Storytime 3/12 (Sandy Creek Nature Center) Join the SCNC staff for stories about the woods and their resident creatures. 2:30 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3615, www.accleisureservices.com EVENTS: 17th Annual OCAF Thrift Sale 3/13 (OCAF) Over 10,000 items. Find antiques, furniture, trinkets, tools, toys, electronics, garden supplies, pottery and much more.

Benefits the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation. 8 a.m.–2 p.m. FREE! 706-769-4565, www.ocaf.com * Advance Tickets Available

Live Music Tuesday 22 Caledonia Lounge 9:30 p.m. $6 (21+), $8 (18+). www. caledonialounge.com MATT HUDGINS & HIS SHIT-HOT COUNTRY BAND The local band plays classic country and honky tonk that goes down well with a shot of whisky or an ice cold beer.

THEE OH SEES Reckless, blissed-out garage rock done right.

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

Hendershot’s Coffee Bar 8 p.m. $3. 706-353-3050 NO SHAME! Open mic hosted by Rose of Athens Theatre. Every Tuesday!

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. Every Tuesday!

The Max Canada 10 p.m. $3. 706-254-3392 LAISSEZ FUNK Local group plays funk-jam fusion plus a variety of covers.

THE REVIVALISTS This New Orleans band plays a vibrant mix of funk, jazz and rock accented by warm pedal steel and sax.

The Melting Point 7 p.m. $16 (adv.), $20 (door.) www. meltingpointathens.com CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS Trio of banjo and fiddle extraordinaires carrying on the tradition of string bands from the green hills of the Carolinas with a modern twist.

HOME GROWN REVIVAL Sweet folk and bluegrass quartet from Dahlonega.

No Where Bar 706-546-4742 SPIRITUAL REZ Reggae, horn, funk dance band that puts a mordern spin on classic influences like Toots & the Maytals and The Wailers.

Rye Bar 10 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ ryebarathens KILL KURT REIFLER Funky guitar rock duo.

MAX EVE Lawrenceville act whose songs consist of ambient, cinematic tones.

WUOG 90.5FM “Live in the Lobby.” 8 p.m. FREE! www. wuog.org LIVE IN THE LOBBY Bodega Roja will perform on the college radio station’s twice weekly program. Listen over the air or drop by the station!

Wednesday 23 Alibi 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 KARAOKE With the Singing Cowboy!

Tonight willl be an Alibi Idol Contest.

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

11 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com THE BEETS Not the “Doug” cartoon band come to life (unfortunately), but rather a reverb-heavy, lo-fi garage rock band from New York.

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

DIP Members of Gun Party cracking themselves up with silly, nonsense songs with bad backing tracks that tend to mention the word “dip” a lot.

Flicker Theatre & Bar 8:30 p.m. www.myspace.com/flickerbar FLO AT FLICKER Poetry and potluck.

Go Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar DJ Z-DOG Zack “Z-Dog” Hosey spins dance classics, punk, ‘80s and more.

TWIN POWERS DJ Dan Geller (Gold Party, The Agenda) hosts an ‘80s new wave and glam rock dance party.

THE WEDDING BAND Zack Hosey (DJ Z-Dog), Nate Nelson and friends play wedding-style rock covers.

Hendershot’s Coffee Bar 7 p.m. FREE! 706-353-3050, www. circusofsound.com BRONKAR LEE A one-man spectacle combining body percussion, drumming and vocal percussion with juggling.

The Melting Point 9 p.m. $5 (adv.) www.meltingpointathens.com LEE NESTOR BAND Female-fronted classic rock band. Lee Nestor has an occasional Axl Rose-type swagger and sometimes mellows back into rock ballads.

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

Rye Bar 10 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ ryebarathens JUNKER Local band with guitar, bass, harmonica, pedal steel, sax and drums.

ERIC SOMMER Upbeat songs that showcase the D.C. guitarist’s proficiency in slide guitar.

Terrapin Beer Co. 5-7 p.m. $10 Glass. www.terrapinbeer. com BRET MOSELY Clever and calm country artist with stripped-down instrumentation.

Thursday 24 Caledonia Lounge 9:30 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www. caledonialounge.com BOMBS BOMBS BOMBS Local, quirky pop rock.

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

Permanent Reminder of a Temporary Emotion is out now.

SWEET KNIEVEL This band’s brand of melodic, psychedelic rock showscases an appreciation of Syd Barrett and The Beatles.

Farm 255 11 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com BIG HUG LITTLE KISS Randy Newman-embracing old-time country anthems that, in turn, embrace you. Members of Bang Utot, Shithead and Stegosaurus.

LADY LAZARUS This Savannah artist offers minimalist piano and synth set off by smoky vocals.

WHISTLING SCHOOL FOR BOYS Experimental performance artist whose sets are often interactive and always unpredictable.

Flicker Theatre & Bar 8:30 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/ flickerbar MOTHS Featuring Jacob Morris of Ham1, Moths plays a mostly acoustic sort of ‘70s folk-rock with a pop sensibility and an inevitable psychedelic tinge.

40 Watt Club 9 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+) www.40watt. com DISTRICT ATTORNEYS This Atlanta/ Athens group plays breezy, beachy Americana. See Calendar Pick on p. 20.

THOMAS GALLOWAY Lead singer and guitarist of local, funky jam band Mama’s Love.

WOODFANGS Grungy, lo-fi psychedelic pop.

Go Bar 9 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar DR. FRED’S KARAOKE Hosted by karaoke fanatic John “Dr. Fred” Bowers.

Hendershot’s Coffee Bar 8 p.m. FREE! 706-353-3050 A SHARP TURN Three-piece combo playing jazz standards. The group features members of Elijah, Sleepy Horses, Classic City Jazz Band and the Athens Symphony.

Hilltop Grille 7 p.m. FREE! 706-353-7667 MILLIGAN Acoustic duo reworks both classic rock and more recent hits from Johnny Cash to Maroon 5.

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

6–8 p.m. FREE! www.indigoathens. com CARL LINDBERG Jazz bassist Carl Lindberg performs standards, originals and some surprising tunes from divergent styles. Playing every Thursday in February at Hotel Indigo. Tonight with special guest Betsy Franck!

The Mad Hatter 11 p.m. FREE! www.themadhatterathens.com THE JOHN SOSEBEE BAND These Georgia natives play hill country/ Mississippi blues.

The Max Canada “Happy Hour.” 7 p.m. FREE! 706-2543392 AMERICAN FREEDOM MACHINE Mellow and rhythmic country from Louisville akin to Willie Nelson with wisdom to impart and notes to bend.

HOT LAVA MONSTER Propulsive rock from South Carolina.

9 p.m. $5. 706-254-3392 BAMBARA Local power trio that draws from both the atmospherics of

bands like Slowdive and the ferocity of bands like Fugazi with mindmelting volume.

EDDIE THE WHEEL Moody, melodic indie rock.

GRINGO STAR Psychedelic rock from Atlanta, formerly known as A Fir-Ju Well.

SUNSPOTS Bedroom psych-pop with tropical beats and airy vocals.

TUMBLEWEED STAMPEDE Adventurous and energetic dancejam-folk sextet plays party music with folksy and surf touches.

The Melting Point 9 p.m. $7 (adv.), $10 (door). www. meltingpointathens.com SATISFACTION: ROLLING STONES SHOW Acclaimed Rolling Stones tribute band that has the attention of the Las Vegas impersonation scene.

No Where Bar 10 p.m. $4. 706-546-4742 EDDIE AND THE PUBLIC SPEAKERS Local blues-funk trio.

The Office Lounge 8 p.m. FREE! 706-546-0840 BREATHLANES Led by guitarist/ composer John Miley, Breathlanes features atmospheric, organic tones built around guitar, drums and stand-up bass.

Rye Bar 10 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ ryebarathens TENT CITY This Athens-based fourpiece blends new-age funk with soulful blues.

Terrapin Beer Co. 5-7 p.m. $10 Glass. www.terrapinbeer. com BEAUTIFUL ASHES Local duo Hollie Bellew and Joshua Westbrook play acoustic, alternative rock. This is their first show as Beautiful Ashes!

Friday 25 Alibi 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 DIAMONDBACK Hard Southern rock influenced by Lynyrd Skynyrd and AC/DC. The Bad Manor 9 p.m. FREE! (21+), $5 (18-21). www. thebadmanor.com DJ ANTHONY D Dance party!

Bailey’s American Tavern 11 p.m. FREE! 706-543-7170 THE JOHN SOSEBEE BAND These Georgia natives play hill country/ Mississippi blues and the occasional Hendrix cover. Come dance along!

Barnette’s “Rock Against Cancer Benefit.” 8 p.m. $10 donation. www.rockagainstcancer.org THE AXIS A soulful mix of hip-hop, R&B and electro featuring members of Atlanta funk-powerhouse Entropy.

BURNS LIKE A LASER Spinning electro, nu-disco and house.

UP UNTIL NOW Local duo plays electronic dance music with driving uptempo beats and catchy, unforgettable melodies.

Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com DEAD DOG Local band delivers frenetic, spunky lo-fi punk with a pop smile.

GRAPE SODA Local band featuring the brothers Lewis (Mat and Ryan, also of The Agenda), on vocals, organ and drums, playing

reverb-heavy garage psych-rock.

Celebrating the release of their debut album, Form a Sign. See story on p. 15.

THE NEW SOUND OF NUMBERS Experimental pop and post-punk project led by Hannah Jones, visual artist and percussionist for Supercluster.

Dos Palmas Restaurant & Cantina 10:30 p.m. $5. 706-353-7771 SEXY FRIDAY Dance party with DJ Xavyy and DJ CrazyE. Farm 255 11 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com GIMME HENDRIX Locally based Jimi Hendrix tribute band featuring authentic look and gear.

VINCENT THE DOG Athens rock power trio informed by classic rock, blues, funk, jazz, hard rock and progressive rock.

Flicker Theatre & Bar 8:30 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/ flickerbar THE BACK SLIDERS Top-notch country band.

DARNELL BOYS The three Darnell brothers play and sing country blues originals backed by upright bass, singing saw and junkyard percussion.

THAYER SARRANO Local singersongwriter and multi-instrumentalist with lovely, airy vocals singing dark, gentle melodies over guitar while backed by Zack Hosey and friends.

40 Watt Club 8:30 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+) www.40watt.com FLORIDA-GEORGIA LINE Nashville act offering twangy rock and roll with the full country band experience.

CHASE RICE Solo country singer from Nashville who focuses on liquor and women in that tongue-incheek yet sincere country music way.

WHISKEY GENTRY Toe-tapping Americana ranging from bluegrass picking to punk-inspired songs.

Go Bar 9 p.m. $2, or FREE! with a dance partner. www.myspace.com/gobar DJ MAHOGANY Freaky funk, sultry soul, righteous R&B and a whole lotta unexpected faves. Tonight he hosts a talent show before the live music, with prizes to be awarded afterwards!

FREE TOMORROW High-energy, intellectual hip-hop with a unique dancey blend of violin, cello, keys, bass and drums.

TUMBLEWEED STAMPEDE Adventurous and energetic dancejam-folk sextet plays party music with folksy and surf touches.

Hendershot’s Coffee Bar 8 p.m. FREE! 706-353-3050 HEATHER LUTTRELL Georgian singer/songwriter with a seductive, soulful, Margo Timmins voice.

Highwire 8–11 p.m. FREE! 706-583-8510 RAND LINES TRIO Pianist Rand Lines performs original compositions with the help of drummer Ben Williams and bassist Mike Beshara.

Hilltop Grille 7 p.m. FREE! 706-353-7667 CLASSIC CITY SOUL Motown and R&B classics.

The Max Canada 9 p.m. $2. 706-254-3392 EFREN Local indie-folksters along the lines of Iron and Wine and Bonnie “Prince” Billy. k continued on next page

Eat. Drink. Listen Closely.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22 Nomad Artists presents

CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS HOME GROWN REVIVAL

Tickets $16 adv. • $20 at the door

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23

LEE NESTOR BAND Tickets $5 adv.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24

SATISFACTION:

ROLLING STONES SHOW!

Tickets $7 adv. • $10 at the door

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25 Nomad Artists presents

RANDALL BRAMBLETT BAND Tickets $13 adv. • $18 at the door THURSDAY, MARCH 3

CAROLINE AIKEN WHISPER KISS

FRIDAY, MARCH 4 Athens Family Counseling Services benefit featuring

LEFTY HATHAWAY BAND Tickets $13 adv. • $18 at the door SATURDAY, MARCH 5

DIRK HOWELL BAND REUNION Tickets $ 10 adv.

SUNDAY, MARCH 6 AthFest presents

GEORGE WINSTON Tickets $30 adv. • $35 at the door

TUESDAY, MARCH 8 Terrapin Bluegrass Series featuring

NORTH GEORGIA BLUEGRASS BAND

$4 admission • $2 Terrapin Pints All Night!

THURSDAY, MARCH 10 Nomad Artists and the Melting Point present

COLIN HAY (of MEN AT WORK)

CHRIS TRAPPER

Tickets $23 adv. • $28 at the door

JUST ANNOUNCED

FRIDAY, APRIL 15

TODD SNIDER

Tickets $ 18 adv. • $22 at the door

COMING SOON 3/11 - GRAINS OF SAND 3/17 - St. Patrick’s Day Celebration: BALLYBEG BAND, CALICO JIG 3/19 - STRAWBERRY FLATS 3/23 - NATE CURRIN 3/24 - KEVINE DEVINE, RIVER CITY EXTENSION, HARDY MORRIS 3/25 - SONS OF SAILORS LOCATED ON THE GROUNDS OF

3/28 - BAND OF OZ 3/29 - Avett Bros After Party with CORDUROY ROAD 4/7 - THE CHAPIN SISTERS 4/8 - J. MASCIS, KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS 4/9 - ABBEY ROAD LIVE! 4/12 - THE BRIDGE 4/17 - Laughs for the GATH 4/22 - KINCHAFOONEE COWBOYS 4/27 - WATSON TWINS

295 E. DOUGHERTY ST., ATHENS, GA

706.254.6909

WWW.MELTINGPOINTATHENS.COM

FOR TICKETS & SHOWTIMES OR CALL THE BOX OFFICE 706.254.6909

FEBRUARY 23, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

21

THE CALENDAR! THE HYPSYS Prog-rock jam band from Tuscaloosa.

NEW MADRID That calming mix of echoing, Americana vocals and swift and proficient guitar plucks that add up to a reassuring nod that the world is still turning.

THE WOODGRAINS Local band that plays a blend of funk, rock and soul featuring three vocalists and charismatic harmonies.

The Melting Point 8 p.m. $13 (adv.), $18 (door) www. meltingpointathens.com RANDALL BRAMBLETT BAND Longtime Athenian Randall Bramblett presents a simplified slab of Southern music. Either blowing the sax or delivering his gruff ‘n’ grumbly vocals, Bramblett can toss out direct, Southern R&B kickers.

New Earth Music Hall 9 p.m. $10. www.newearthmusichall. com GROGUS The local and long-running ensemble plays jazz and salsa accentuated with reggae, hip-hop and Afro-Cuban styles.

PACKWAY HANDLE BAND Packway’s “gather around the mic” approach to bluegrass provides sly, hearty original songs and renditions of classic tunes. The band’s close four-part harmonies are backed with energy, and the contemporary lyrics are delivered with an engaging sense of humor.

The Office Lounge 9:30 p.m. FREE! 706-546-0840 THE BRETHEREN Funk, R&B and blues band from Atlanta.

Rye Bar 10 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ ryebarathens THE NATIVE SWAY Quartet from Boone, NC takes Southern rock riffs and turns them into loose, funky jams.

SOUNDS OF SILENCE Hard rocking local band that has shared the stage with such acts as Finger Eleven, Puddle of Mudd and Saliva. Tonight features an acoustic set.

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

Tonight with percussion from Andy Appling, former touring drummer for Georgia pop/hardcore band Kenotia.

Starbucks 8-11 p.m. FREE! (Donations accepted.)

Downtown Starbucks (100 College Ave.) INVISIBLE CHILDREN BENEFIT CONCERT Invisible Children fights to end the use of child soldiers in Northern Uganda, in an effort to restore peace, give aid and build schools. Performances by Russ Spicer, John French, Kevin Wittaker, Matthew Beeson and Michael Johnson, Tim Reidy and John Goldman.

Terrapin Beer Co. 5-7 p.m. $10 Glass. www.terrapinbeer. com MASON DOUGLAS Light country rock from Nashville.

Saturday 26 The Bad Manor 9 p.m. www.thebadmanor.com DJRX DJ-remixer Brian Gonzalez delivers original mixes of mainly

22

Friday, Feb. 25 continued from p. 21

current pop with forays into rock, old school, country and electronica.

Tonight with percussion from Andy Appling, drummer for Radiolucent and Tealvox and former touring drummer for Georgia pop/hardcore band Kenotia.

Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). ww.caledonialounge.com FROM EXILE Baroque atmospheric rock that passes effortlessly into carefully choreographed and quite pleasant metal.

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

SHARKHEART Local progressive metal band. Formerly known as Cancerstick.

Farm 255 11 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com FERAL YOUTH Local DJ Chris Howe will mow you down with his high-energy pop mashups and raveinfluenced beats.

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

Flicker Theatre & Bar 9:30 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/ flickerbar BENYARO Roots-folk trio from New York.

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

GRINNIN’ BEAR Expect fast-paced country and bluegrass tunes from this local band.

THE LEFTY HATHAWAY BAND Lefty Hathaway plays rock and roll soul with turbulent piano jams reminiscent of the late, great Lowell George and fellow Okies JJ Cale & Leon Russell.

40 Watt Club 8 p.m. $18. www.40watt.com BRIAN BONZ & THE MAJOR CRIMES Upbeat, airy indie pop from Brooklyn led by narrative stories over lush, layered acoustics.

Recommended for fans of bands like Deathcab for Cutie.

THE GET UP KIDS Alternative rock band known for its seminal role in the mid-’90s “emo” scene. After a brief hiatus, the band reunited with a new sound and a new record called There Are Rules. See feature story on p. 16.

MINIATURE TIGERS Clever indie pop that’s equally earnest and playful.

Go Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar IMMUZIKATION Celebrated local DJ Alfredo Lapuz, Jr. hosts a dance party featuring high-energy electro and rock.

THE KLEZMER LOCAL 42 A local seven-piece Klezmer band specializing in Jewish and Gypsy music and featuring Dan Horowitz of Five Eight.

LOS MEESFITS The music of The Misfits done in Spanish/Cuban salsa style.

TWIN POWERS DJ Dan Geller (Gold Party, The Agenda) hosts an ‘80s new wave and glam rock dance party.

Hendershot’s Coffee Bar 8 p.m. $5. 706-353-3050 KYSHONA ARMSTRONG This engaging local songwriter performs a unique fusion of acoustic folk and soul.

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 23, 2011

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. FREE! 706-369-3144 MAXIMUM BUSY MUSCLE Local tech-metal trio.

JASON ROACH AND JOHN NORRIS Jason Roach, virtuoso guitarist with Maximum Busy Muscle and John Norris, drummer/ guitarist with Kate Morrissey, team up for some sonic/rhythmic improv.

New Earth Music Hall 9 p.m. $10 www.newearthmusichall. com ARCHNEMESIS Side project from the electronic dub/jam act Telepath.

KRADDY Dubstep and electronica from Matthew Kratz, a founding member of Glitch Mob. LOVE AND LIGHT Rave remix artist who creates digestible beats with a narrative quality.

No Where Bar 10 p.m. $4. 706-546-4742 CADILLAC JONES Heavy, dirty funk septet from Atlanta that experiments with non-traditional sounds and mixed rhythms.

NEWBERRY JAM This Atlanta band plays easy-going jazz, funk and breakbeat with sax, bass, guitar and a drum machine.

The Office Lounge “Human Rights Festival Benefit.” 9 p.m. Suggested donation of $5. 706546-0840.

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

SUEX EFFECT Alternative/progressive rock featuring a fusion of funk, reggae, metal and blues with plenty of harmonies and improvisation.

Rye Bar 10 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ ryebarathens HAULOVER DRIVE Miami five-piece plays anthemic punk pop similar to acts like All-American Rejects.

MATT KABUS BAND Atlanta-based singer-songwriter has a sweet pop voice and delivers heartfelt acoustic ballads, with a backing band.

Speakeasy Midnight. FREE! 706-546-5556 THE NICE MACHINE Local, instrumental rock with surf undertones.

Terrapin Beer Co. 5-7 p.m. $10 Glass. www.terrapinbeer. com TIM MCNARY Sincere lyrics and soulful melodies.

Sunday 27 Borders Books & Music 3–4 p.m. FREE! 706-583-8647 MAD WHISKEY GRIN Solo acoustic set from Frank Williams who slides and finger-picks his way through bluesy and decidedly American sounds.

4 p.m. FREE! 706-583-8647 BRETT SCHIEBER Orchestralsounding pop from Atlanta.

Farm 255 10 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com CARA BETH SATALINO Witches lead singer plays a solo set.

TITANS OF FILTH This local band combines droll Southern voices with easy-rolling, efficient and uncomplicated indie-pop rock about the ups and downs of young love.

Monday, February 28

B.o.B., The Ecotones, Sweet Dreams Tate Grand Hall The group that calls itself the “newest a cappella sensation to hit Athens” may soon be gaining recognition outside the city limits if its next performance The Ecotones is any indication of things ahead. The Ecotones, a group of ecologically minded students who sing contemporary pop (think “Glee” meets Greenpeace), have been selected to open for major label hip-hop recording artist B.o.B. at his sold-out campus performance. The Top-40 rapper will be visiting Athens to take part in “The Culmination”: a concert celebrating 50 years of desegregation at the University of Georgia. Also on the bill is Sweet Dreams, a local Athens dance company.

At first glance, it seems like “a cappella” and “ecology” might fit better on a Scrabble board than co-existing in a student organization. However, environmentalism and music have maintained an odd marriage for decades, and both elements have always flourished in the local community. The Ecotones have simply fused the two together in yet another fashion.

The group has come a long way from its rudimentary beginnings at a party in late 2009. In just a little over a year, the band has gained financial support from the Odum School of Ecology as well as attention from students outside of the ecology program.

Alto Jessica Maples, for example, is a doctoral student studying clinical psychology, and other members’ majors range from theater to English.

While some college-based a cappella groups get by on quirk and raw talent alone, this passionate group is seeking to do more than simply entertain. “We hope to build our repertoire and get more involved in the a cappella community at UGA,” Maples says. After opening for B.o.B, The Ecotones will be performing at the annual Ecological Society of America conference in Austin, TX and also hope to set up a benefit concert for the Upper Oconee Watershed Network by the end of the year. Let’s just hope there will always be enough vocally talented ecology students to keep The Ecotones alive. [Carrie Dagenhard]

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

YELLOWFEVER Minimalist art pop duo with memorable melodies. See story on p. 17.

Hendershot’s Coffee Bar 8 p.m. FREE! 706-353-3050 DAVID BARBE Acclaimed local producer and former member of Sugar and Mercyland, David Barbe excels as a solo artist. His driving rock songs feature full-throttle electric guitars that venture from indie psychedelia to twangy blues.

RUBY KENDRICK Local singersongwriter with a sweet voice and piercing lyrics.

THAYER SARRANO Local singersongwriter and multi-instrumentalist with lovely, airy vocals singing dark, gentle melodies over guitar while backed by Zack Hosey and some friends.

JEREMY WHEATLEY You may have seen Jeremy Wheatley perform as a member of Tin Cup Prophette, The Low Lows and Je Suis France. His solo shows feature warm, endearing ballads accompanied by guitar.

Monday 28 Caledonia Lounge 9 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com THE GOONS Local indie-poprock featuring members of The Glands, Casper & the Cookies and Marshmallow Coast.

HUG ABUSE New outfit featuring Mike Turner (HHBTM Records), Keenan Dowers and Brigette Herron (Tunabunny).

MARSHMALLOW COAST Local group that once featured smooth and airy, swirly indie-pop turned up the funk on Phreak Phantasy.

THE POISON CONTROL CENTER Iowa-based outfit weaving between lo-fi fuzz pop and ‘60s garage rock.

THE ECOTONES UGA ecology students rep environmentalism with this new a cappella group. See Calendar Pick on this page.

Flicker Theatre & Bar 8:30 p.m. FREE! (donations happily accepted). www.myspace.com/ flickerbar ANTLERED AUNT LORD Fuzz pop guitar/drums duo featuring songwriter Jesse Stinnard.

ASSATEAGUE Layered folk with pleasant vocals.

THE WOOLLY MOON Moody folk rock band with a Stones-y swagger.

Caledonia Lounge 9:30 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www. caledonialounge.com GIANT CLOUD Grounded guitars and floating vocals that rise up and up like balloons with circusy, blissedout instrumentation. From New Orleans.

RUBY KENDRICK Local singersongwriter with a sweet voice and piercing lyrics.

THAYER SARRANO Local singersongwriter and multi-instrumentalist with lovely, airy vocals singing dark, gentle melodies over guitar while backed by Zack Hosey and friends.

Go Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar HUSSEINS Garage punk from Atlanta.

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

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

No Where Bar 9:30 p.m. 706-546-4742 WEAVER D’S OPEN MIC Weaver D’s is putting together a full week of open mic nights in various venues across Athens to find new talent for a series called “Automatic Music” and to play the Weaver D’s anniversary celebartion. Open to all types of musicians and comedians.

UGA Tate Center “The Culmination.” 7:30 p.m. SOLD OUT! www.uga.edu/union B.O.B. This charismatic young hiphop artist from Atlanta has already topped the charts with hits like “Nothin’ On You” (feat. Bruno Mars).

Tuesday 1

Hendershot’s Coffee Bar 8 p.m. $3. 706-353-3050 NO SHAME! Open mic hosted by Rose of Athens Theatre. Every Tuesday!

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. Every Tuesday!

No Where Bar 9 p.m. $2. 706-546-4742 LEAVING COUNTRIES Warm, inviting folk rock from here in Athens, featuring tender violin, aching harmonica and melodic acoustic guitars.

Weaver D’s Fine Foods 3 p.m. 706-353-7797 WEAVER D’S OPEN MIC Weaver D’s is putting together a full week of open mic nights in various venues across Athens to find new talent for a series called “Automatic Music” and to play the Weaver D’s anniversary celebartion. Open to all types of musicians and comedians.

Terrapin Beer Co. 5-7 p.m. $10 Glass. www.terrapinbeer. com CHRIS CUNDARI Jam, electronica and reggae performed live with a looping technique similar to Keller Williams.

WUOG 90.5FM “Live in the Lobby.” 8 p.m. FREE! www. wuog.org LIVE IN THE LOBBY Co Co Ri Co will perform on the college radio station’s twice weekly program. Listen over the air, stream online or drop by the station to watch!

3/3 Weaver D’s Open Mic (Little Kings Shuffle Club) 3/3 Face/Off (40 Watt Club) 3/3 Gabrahm Vitek (Farm 255) 3/3 Daniel Clay / Etienne de Rocher / Fabulous Bird / Little Horn (Flicker Theatre & Bar) 3/3 Milligan (Hilltop Grille) 3/3 Dank Sinatra / Jahman Brahman (New Earth Music Hall) 3/3 Snap! (No Where Bar) 3/3 Mike Armstrong (Terrapin Beer Co.) 3/3 Live in the Lobby (WUOG 90.5FM) 3/4 Weaver D’s Open Mic (Jittery Joe’s Roasting Company) 3/4 Modern Skirts / Oryx & Crake / The Weeks (40 Watt Club) 3/4 Eric Lunde / Pocketful of Claptonite (ATHICA) 3/4 David Dondero / Franz Nicolay / Tony Tidwell / The Welfare Liners (Caledonia Lounge) 3/4 Country Mice / Woodfangs (Farm 255) 3/4 Rand Lines Trio (Highwire) 3/4 Who’s Bad (New Earth Music Hall) 3/4 Big Daddy Love / JazzChronic (No Where Bar) 3/4 Drew Kohl (Terrapin Beer Co.) 3/4 Lefty Hathaway Band (The Melting Point) 3/5 Benefit for The Georgia Theatre Rehabilitation Fund (40 Watt Club) 3/5 Save Grand Canyon / Tastes Like Good (Caledonia Lounge) 3/5 Confederate Railroad / Jeff Vaughn Band (Club Chrome) 3/5 Weaver D’s Open Mic (Farm 255) 3/5 Brothers (Flicker Theatre & Bar) 3/5 RYAT (Go Bar) 3/5 Acre Farm / Driftwood (Little Kings Shuffle Club) 3/5 Domino Effect (No Where Bar) 3/5 Austin Archer (Terrapin Beer Co.) 3/5 Dirk Howell Band (The Melting Point) 3/6 George Winston (The Melting Point) 3/7 Open Mic (Hendershot’s Coffee Bar) 3/7 Luster (Rye Bar) 3/8 NO SHAME! (Hendershot’s Coffee Bar) 3/8 The Lisps (Caledonia Lounge) 3/8 Co Co Ri Co / Hermit Thrushes (Farm 255) 3/8 Kenosha Kid (Highwire) 3/8 Flight Risk (No Where Bar) 3/8 North Georgia Bluegrass Band (The Melting Point) 3/8 Live in the Lobby (WUOG 90.5FM) 3/9 Antlered Aunt Lord / Green Thrift Grocery / Ted Kuhn / Smoke Dog (Caledonia Lounge) 3/9 Amen Dunes / Prince Rama / Quiet Hooves (Farm 255) 3/9 Emily Armond / Eureka, California / Nash Smith & Ganges (Go Bar)

Wednesday 2 Caledonia Lounge 9 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com ARTURO IN LETTO AJ Weiss shows off his solo chops under the name Arturo in Letto, singing mostly sweet, melodic songs written in Italy about his time abroad.

DYLAN GILBERT Gilbert writes pop gems with a mastery that is far beyond his years. Expect big, sweeping melodies bounce along upbeat rhythms.

THE JERSEY BARRIER Dueling guitar folk with male/female harmonies.

KING/COBB A rag-tag experimental six-peice attempting to cram too many ideas into too many songs. It’s physical, emotional and comical.

Farm 255 9 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com BAD BANANA Clever and pretty punk rock from twin sisters.

DEAD DOG Local band delivers frenetic, spunky lo-fi punk with a pop smile.

HUG ABUSE New outfit featuring Mike Turner (HHBTM Records), Keenan Dowers and Brigette Herron (Tunabunny).

40 Watt Club 8 p.m. $15 (adv), $20 (door). www.40watt.com JOSH RITTER AND THE ROYAL CITY BAND Folk singer with intimate stories to tell subtly brings expansive instrumentation into his humble songs with The Royal City Band. So Runs the World Away was named one of the top-ten albums of 2010 by NPR. ADAM KLEIN Singer-songwriter who blends the finest elements of folk, Americana and country with poetic lyricism and striking imagery to create engaging, well-crafted songs.

JOE PUG This talented singer-songwriter pours out pure folk poetry over warm, plucked acoustic tones.

Go Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar NICE MACHINE Instrumental rock with surf undertones.

New Earth Music Hall 9 p.m. $6. www.newearthmusichall. com JAZZCHRONIC Local five-piece explores freaky, funky, psychedelic fusion jazz while incorporating rock, R&B, heavy beats and more.

ORGONE Barroom rock from L.A. with a funky makeover.

Rye Bar 9:30 p.m. 706-354-6629 WEAVER D’S OPEN MIC Weaver D’s is putting together a full week of open mic nights to find new talent for “Automatic Music” and to play the Weaver D’s anniversary celebration. Open to all types of musicians and comedians.

THURSDAY, MARCH 3

FACE OFF

Twenty randomly selected trios featuring members of

Down the Line

In the ATL 3/4 Bright Eyes / Cursive (The Tabernacle) 4/8 Scissor Sisters (The Tabernacle) 4/18 Lady Gaga (Gwinnett Center & Arena) 4/22 Pete Yorn (Center Stage) * 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, FEBRUARY 24

FUTUREBIRDS, GIFT HORSE, BUBBLy MOMMy GUN, THE AGENDA, QUIET HOOvES, TUNABUNNy, ABANDON THE EARTH MISSION, FOUR EyES, EUREKA CALIFORNIA, WEREWOLvES, LOS MEESFITS, DEAD DOG, THE HEAP, vENICE IS SINKING AND MORE! All proceeds going to PROJECT SAFE

doors open at 8:30pm

FRIDAY, MARCH 4 Nomad Artists Presents

THE DISTRICT ATTORNEYS WOODFANGS THOMAS GALLOWAY doors open at 9pm

MODERN SKIRTS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25

THE WHISKEY GENTRY

ORyX AND CRAKE doors open at 9:30pm**

FLORIDA-GEORGIA LINE CHASE RICE doors open at 8:30pm

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26

THE

GET UP KIDS

MINIATURE TIGERS • BRIAN BONZ doors open at 8pm*

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2 Nomad Artists Presents

JOSH RITTER & THE ROYAL CITY BAND JOE PUG • ADAM KLEIN doors open at 8pm

SATURDAY, MARCH 5

Benefit for the Georgia Theatre Rehabilitaion Fund by the UGA Music Business program:

DON CHAMBERS + GOAT

LERA LYNN CD RELEASE THE K-MACKS BORDERHOP doors open at 8:30pm**

MONDAY, MARCH 7 Benefit for Community Connection, Communities in Schools and Whatever It Takes:

R.E.M.

“Collapse Into Now”

Listening Party and Screening

RAFFLE & AUCTION doors open at 6:30pm

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

Cool products.

Great service.

Ask us about our educational discounts, Trade-in program, Peach Plus benefits, financing options and friendly in-house repair.

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

FEBRUARY 23, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

23

Carlo Nasisse

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

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

ART Call for Art (Hotel Indigo) Seeking works of surface design, textile art or any wearable art for “Material World II: FashioNation.”

Submit low-res jpgs to celebratethearts@yahoo.com. $10. www.athens arts.org/material_world.php Call for Artists (Floorspace) FloorSpace is seeking artists for month-long exhibitions. 706-3721833, www.floorspaceathens.com Call for Entries (Georgia Piedmont Arts Center) Georgia Piedmont Arts Center invites artists of all skill levels to participate in the gallery exhibition “Envy Green,” on Mar. 19 & 20. $15. 404-202-3044, www.georgiapiedmontartscenter.com Call for Sound Artists (ATHICA) Looking for sound artists with interest in field recording to collaborate with visiting artists, Mar. 2–5. www.athica.org/callforentries. php Call for Submissions (Amici Italian Café) Amici’s is seeking artists for monthly exhibitions in 2011.

706-353-0000, athens@amici-cafe. com Literary Project (ATHICA) Be a part of a literary project affiliated with “Taking Part” by answering a survey by Mar. 1. www.athica.org/ exhibit.php?ID=100 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

CLASSES Adult Wing Chun Kung Fu (Floorspace) Wing Chun is a Chinese system of Kung Fu that specializes in developing dynamic, explosive and street-oriented practical self-defense. Tuesdays & Thursdays, 5:45 p.m. $12 per class, $60 for 6 classes. floorspacestudio@gmail. com, www.floorspaceathens.com Art Classes (Lyndon House) Sign up for winter and spring art classes!

For adults, teens and children.

Go online for full list of programs.

Now registering! 706-613-3623, www.accleisureservices.com Athens Vertical Pole Dance Academy (Canopy Studio) Ongoing pole dance classes for beginners and intermediate students. info@AVPDA.com Basic Pottery (OCAF) Designed for new throwers and first timers, this class will focus on cups and bowls. Call to register. Wednesdays, Feb. 23–Mar. 30, 6–8 p.m. $170 (materials included). 706-769-4565, www.ocaf.com Beekeeping for Beginners (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Three-part series focusing on spring hive management, installing bees into new hives and extracting honey.

Pre-registration required. Mar. 12, Apr. 9 & May 28. $95. 706-5426156, www.uga.edu/botgarden 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 chil-

Athens Area Humane Society

ADOPTION CENTER

Inside Pet Supplies Plus at Alps Shopping Center • 706.353.2287 Bunnies! This is Solo and he might be a great bunny to start with if you’ve never had one before since he is secretly a cat in a rabbit suit. He is litterbox trained and more social than many rabbits.

He loves being pet, enjoys being held and meeting new people.

His very favorite thing is racing around the house at top speed.

2/10-2/16

SOLO

24

ROSEY (OR POSIE)

Not sure if this is pretty Rosey or Posie because they are the same size and color and are perhaps siblings.

Both are sweet, one is a bit shy, the other playful and social.

What a perfect name for this young, gorgeous Lionhead Rabbit! He has a big mane of soft hair and he’s a laidback, lovable fella.

DANDELION Nope. Not a bunny,

CALLIE ATHENS AREA HUMANE SOCIETY Cats Received 3, Cats Placed 6! 0 Healthy Adoptable Cats Euthanized ACC ANIMAL CONTROL 33 Dogs and 18 Cats Received, 29 Dogs and 2 Cats Placed

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 23, 2011

dren and adults hand-building methods every Sunday from 2-4 p.m.

706-355-3161, www.gooddirt.net Clown School (Rubber Soul Yoga Revolution Studio) Series of classes focusing on clown character and building rapport and fun. Sundays through March, 7–8:30 p.m. $5 (suggested donation). 706-4610262, calclements@gmail.com Continuing Education Classes at Athens Tech (Athens Technical College) Register for a class to improve your home, enhance your computer skills, expand your job opportunities and more. Go online to learn about the opportunities. Call or email to register. 706-369-5763, awhite@athenstech.edu, www.athenstech.edu Creative Exploration Classes (Wildeye Creative Exploration Studio) Tap into your creative process! Classes for kids and adults. 706-410-0250, www.wildeyecreative.com Donation Based Spanish (Athens Language Schoolhouse) Guided conversation class with native Spanish speakers. Wednesdays, 2–3 p.m. & Fridays, 7–8 p.m. $5 (suggested donation). 706-5495002, www.athensprofessional services.com English as a Second Language (Pinewoods Hispanic Community Library) Classes every week! Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:30–8 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3708 ESL Class (Athens Urban Ministries) Free sessions. Tuesdays & Thursdays, 1:30–3 p.m. FREE! 706-353-6647 Express Yoga (Five Points Yoga) Create peace in the middle of your day by doing yoga during your lunch break! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. 12:15–1 p.m. $5. www.athensfivepointsyoga.com

but just as cute. Callie is an older cat that takes thyroid medicine and has to live indoors because all four feet are declawed. She loves tummy rubs, cuddling and chatting.

more pets can be seen online at

athenshumanesociety.org

Christina West’s figurative sculptures are on display at Trace Gallery through Mar. 4.

Flower Arranging (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Taught by a National Garden Club Master Flower Show judge. Focus will be on dining table arrangements. Call to register. Feb. 23, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. $45. 706-542-6156, www.uga.edu/ botgarden 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 GED Classes (Athens Urban Ministries, 717 Oconee St.) Get your GED for free, free, free! Mondays & Thursdays, 9:30–11:30 a.m. FREE! 706-353-6647.

Hatha Yoga (Floorspace) Relax, restore and renew. All levels welcome.

Tuesdays, 8:45 a.m. & Thursdays, 12:15 p.m. $8–15. thebodyeclectic @rocketmail.com 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 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 Laugh-a-Yoga (Mind Body Institute) Laugh your stress away!

Fourth friday of each month. 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 Mandalas and Movement (Samaritan Counseling Center) Combining gentle yoga and meditative drawing in 4-week sessions.

Registration required. Wednesdays, through Mar. 2, 6–8 p.m.$90. 706369-7911, www.samaritannega.org 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/earlychild hood.html

Native Medicinal Plant Walk and Talk (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Instructional walk through the trails and gardens with clinical herbalist and plant enthusiast Holli Richey. Pre-registration required. Mar. 26, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. $18. 706-542-6156, www.uga.edu/ botgarden Naturescaping with Natural Fibers (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Join in on the versatile fiber technique called needle felting!

Make a small pouch or bag embellished with beads and thread. Preregistration required. Mar. 8, 6–8 p.m. $27. 706-542-6156, www.uga. edu/botgarden New Horizons Music Classes (UGA School of Music) Beginning band, intermediate band, beginning orchestra and piano classes for adults age 50+. No prior music experience needed! Call 706-5422894 to register. Visit www.uga.edu/ ugacms Nia (Various Locations) Gain muscle definition and strength in this dance class delivering cardiovascular, whole-body conditioning. Offered four days a week; check online schedule. 706-424-9873, www.TheBodyEclectic.com Organic Gardening (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Learn the basics of organic soil building, how to propagate herbs and make newspaper pots. Pre-registration required. Mar. 6, 2–4 p.m. $20. 706542-6156, www.uga.edu/botgarden Painting I and II (Lyndon House Arts Center) Beginner and intermediate level instruction with Margaret Agner on composition, value, focus, power and self expression.

Register by calling. 6:30–8:30 p.m.

Thursdays, Mar. 17–May 5. 706613-3623, www.athensclarkecounty. 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 Qigong for Health & Relaxation (State Botanical Garden of Georgia, Visitor Center, Great Room) Certified Qigong instructor Carl Lindberg leads class on the ancient Chinese art of self-cultivation that fosters health, relaxation and calm. Mondays, Mar. 7–Apr. 25, 12–1 p.m. $12 (per class), $80 (8 weeks). 706-542-6156, www.uga. edu/botgarden 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

Spring Clay Classes (Good Dirt) Now accepting registration for 8-week classes including wheel, sculpture for the garden and handbuilt pottery. See online schedule.

706-355-3161, www.gooddirt.net 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).706-613-8178, cvunderwood@charter.net Tribal Basics Bellydance (Floorspace, 160 Tracy St.) Bellydance for every belly! Learn graceful moves in a fun and supportive environment with a focus on Egyptian style and rhythms.

Wednesdays, 7–8 p.m. www.floor spaceathens.com UGA Tango Club (UGA Tate Center, Room 311) Meet up every week to wax the floor with your new moves.

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 relax and experience new cultural and religious ideas. Wednesdays, 8 p.m.–9 p.m. FREE! athensinsights@ gmail.com Women Writing Their Lives (160 Tracy Street) 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 through March, 7–8:15 p.m. $50/month. thektp@gmail.com, holdingwoman space.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.americanblack belt.org Yamuna Body Rolling (Five Points Yoga) Four-week series to develop a complete routine of destressing and elongating. Register

by Mar. 13. Begins Mar. 26. 12–2 p.m. athensfivepointsyoga.com Yoga (Rubber Soul Yoga Revolution Studio) Offering yoga, meditation and gentle yoga classes every day

of the week. 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. Feb. 26, 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: 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) 706-207-5881 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 Zumba (Athens Community Council on Aging) Get fit to Latin rhythms! No experience necessary.

Mondays, 6–7 p.m. & Tuesdays, 6:30–7:30 p.m. $6. 706-206-6057, http://53247.zumba.com Zumba at the Garden (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves comprise this dynamic fitness program. Wednesdays, 5:30–6:30 p.m. $10/class, $80/session. www.uga. edu/botgarden

HELP OUT! Athens Greenway Cleanup (Greenway) All area middle and high school students are encouraged to join in cleaning up the Greenway.

Sign-up at athensvolunteer.org/ youthserve. Mar. 26, 9 a.m–12 p.m.

FREE! 706-353-1313 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. Bike repair skills a plus but not necessary. BikeAthens is also seeking donations of used kids’ and adult bikes in any condition. Sundays, 2–4:30 p.m. 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 Judges Needed The Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) are seeking 50 volunteers to judge projects on Mar. 4. 404895-6978, judges4education@ yahoo.com 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. Help someone start a new life!

706-542-0922, www.project-safe. org Seeking Judges The Technology Student Association is seeking 100 volunteers to evaluate student projects on Mar. 10 & 11. 404-8956978, judges4education@yahoo. com 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.

706-769-4565, info@ocaf.com

KIDSTUFF Fairy House Workshop (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Create a home for a fairy using rocks, moss, flowers and other found materials. Space is limited; call to register. Ages 10 & up. Mar. 17, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. $60. 706-542-6156, www.uga.edu/botgarden Growing Naturally (Sandy Creek Nature Center) An early childhood environmental education workshop. Register by Mar. 2. Mar. 5, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. $15. 706-613-3615, www.athensclarkecounty.com/leisure Homework Helpers (East Athens Community Center) UGA students tutor your children and help them get assignments finished. Open to any child or teen who needs help with homework. Daily, 3:30–5:30 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3657, www.clarke.public.lib.ga.us March Madness Spring Break Mini Camp (Lay Park) Activities include arts and crafts, baking, computer lab and more. For ages 6–12. Mar. 14–18, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. $9. www.athensclarkecounty. com/leisure Mommy and Me Spanish (Email for Location) Learn Spanish with your preschooler through songs, stories and games! New session starting soon. sehlers@uga.edu 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 Spring Break Art Break (Lyndon House Arts Center) Children ages 6-12 will enjoy art activities, including art exploration with a guest artist and the creation of their own artwork. Call to register.

Mar. 15 or 17, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. $50 (materials included). 706-613-3623, www.athensclarkecounty.com/leisure Spring Break Camp: Travel through Time (Memorial Park) Enjoy crafts, games and snacks while you learn about crazy fads from different periods in history.

Mar. 14-18, 9 a.m.–3:30 p.m. $43.

706-613-3580, www.accleisure services.com.

Spring Break Clay Camp (Good Dirt) Kids will work on a variety of spring-themed clay projects. For ages 6 & up. Call to register. Mar. 14–18, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. $55 (per day).

706-355-3161, www.gooddirt.net Spring Break Mini Camp (Sandy Creek Nature Center) Participants will discover the interconnections of the forest environment. Each day includes activities, crafts, snacks and more. Space is limited; call to register. Mar. 16–18, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. $16. 706-613-

3615, www.accleisureservices.com/ leisure Spring Break Mini-Camp (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Spend three days having fun and learning! Monday’s activities will include various garden art projects.

On Tuesday, campers will explore worms and birds. Wednesday will be a day of chocolate. For grades K-5th.

Mar. 14–16, 8:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. $88. 706-542-6156, www.uga.edu/ botgarden Wild Intelligence Nature Programs Nature-based learning and character development while your child enjoys storytelling, games and curiosity-based adventure on the land. After-school and day-long programs. Mondays, 3:30–6 p.m. & Tuesdays 10 a.m.–2 p.m. tommy@ wildintelligence.org 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.) Fast-foward fusion of Zumba moves designed to let kids max out on fun and fitness at the same time! Mondays, 5:15–6:15 p.m. $6 (for first child), $3 (for each additional sibling). www.wholemind bodyart.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 Alzheimer’s Caregiver Luncheon Program (Bentley Center) The Athens Area Alzheimer’s Support Group meets the third Tuesday of every month. Noon–1 p.m. FREE! 706-549-4850, eanthony@accaging.org Emotional Abuse Support Group (Call for location) Demeaning behavior and hateful words can be just as harmful as punches and kicks. Childcare is provided. Call the Project Safe hotline: 706-543-3331. Wednesdays, 6:30–8 p.m.

Emotions Anonymous (Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens) Informal and supportive 12step program open to anyone with a desire to become well emotionally.

Sundays, 4–5 p.m. 706-202-7463, www.emotionsanonymous.org Gender Mix (UGA Memorial Hall, Room 414) A male and female discussion and support group established to promote unity within interpersonal relationships. Last Monday of every month. 6 p.m. FREE! 706542-8468, cymoon@uga.edu Grief Support Group (Council on Aging) Meeting every third Thursday each month. 2-3:30 p.m.

FREE! 706-549-4850 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 and sizes welcome. 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.

FREE! 404-771-8971, www.oa.org Parkinson’s Support Group (Council on Aging) Meet up every fourth Monday for an open support group for those living with Parkinson’s Disease. 2:30-4 p.m.

FREE! 706-549-4850 PTSD Support Group Local support group now forming for family

ART AROUND TOWN ACC Library (2025 Baxter St.) Paintings by Lisa Weaver. Through February. • Visual storytelling artwork by teens and adults. Through February.

Amici Italian Café (233 E. Clayton St.) New works

by Charley Seagraves. Through March.

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 Rd.) A comic arts show featuring Eleanor Davis, Drew Weing, Robert Brown, David Mack and Joey Weiser. Reception Mar. 4. Through Apr. 11. • Landscape paintings by Greg Benson, Robert Clements and Joe Ruiz. Reception Mar. 4. Through Apr. 20.

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.

Circle Gallery, UGA College of Environmental Design (Caldwell Hall) “Brave New Worlds: Explorations in China and Costa Rica” features design work produced by students and faculty during recent studies abroad. Through Mar. 25.

Community (119 Jackson St.) New works by Lea Purvis.

Dawg Gone Good BBQ (224 W. Hancock Ave.) Photographs of the Athens Business Rocks competition by Barbara Hutson. Through March.

Dog Ear Books (162 W. Clayton St.) Photo montages by Kenneth Aguar and paintings by Jeff Owens and Rachel Cabaniss. Through Mar. 15.

Espresso Royale Caffe (271 E. Broad St.) Bright acrylics by Chilean artist Carmen Erazo. Through February.

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.) Abstractexpressionist acrylics with deep textures and bright blending of colors by Frances Jemini. Through March.

Flicker Theatre & Bar (263 W. Washington St.) Paintings by Hannah Jones. Through February.

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

Georgia Museum of Art (90 Carlton St.) “The American Scene on Paper: Prints and Drawings from the Schoen Collection” addresses the plight of the American farm laborer to the development of industry and growth of urban environment. Through May 2. • “Tradition Redefined: The Larry and Brenda Thompson Collection of African American Art.” Through Mar. 27.

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

members of soldiers and veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.

770-725-4527 Sapph.Fire The newly formed social, support and volunteer organization for lesbian and bisexual women in Athens and surround areas. Join Sapph.fire on Facebook. 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: 706-543-3331

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.

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

Through March.

Jittery Joe’s Eastside (1860 Barnett Shoals Rd.) Ink and watercolor paintings of local scenes by Jamie Calkin. Through February.

Just Pho…and More (1063 Baxter St.) New work by artist Antonio Caruso. Through February. • New work by Virginia Nazarea. Through March.

Lamar Dodd School of Art (Gallery 307) Recent work by David Humphry. Through Feb. 24.

• (Gallery 101) “Torso Series” by June Yong Lee. Through Mar. 9.

Lyndon House Arts Center (293 Hoyt St.) 36th Annual Juried Exhibition, featuring work by area artists in a variety of media. Through May 10.

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

Madison-Morgan Cultural Center (434 S. Main St., Madison) A collection of images of the high desert plains of the American Southwest. Through March.

Mama’s Boy (197 Oak St.) Abstract paintings and drawings by Hannah Jones. Through February.

Mercury Art Works at Hotel Indigo (500 College Ave.) “Colliding Scopes” features art work

by Nash Hogan, Paige Mostowy, Dena Zilber, Charlie Key and Margaret Schreiber. Through Mar. 1.

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) Egg tempera portraits, commanding landscapes and trompe l’oeil paintings by Christy Green. Through Mar. 25.

Reception Feb. 25.

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

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.

The Grit (199 Prince Ave.) Drawings and mixed media by Lauren Traetto. Through Mar. 6.

This-Way-Out (T-W-O) (680 W. Broad St.) AHA! (AthensHasArt!) features paintings and drawings by Robert Sparrow Jones. Open 6-8 p.m. on the 10th20th of each month, or by appointment. Through Mar. 20.

Town 220 (220 W. Washington St., Madison) “Large Format Wall Paintings” presents the works of painter Richard Olsen and works in clay by Rick Berman.

Through April.

Trace Gallery (160 Tracy St.) New works by Atlanta ceramic sculptor Christina West. West addresses the idea of the human object as a toy by creating nearly life-size porcelain and fabric dolls. Through Mar. 4.

Transmetropolitan (145 E. Clayton St.) “The Pursuit of Happiness.” New paintings by Joe Havasy.

Through February.

White Tiger Gourmet Food & Chocolates (217 Hiawasee Ave.) Mixed-media work by two young artists, Kirin Fernandes and Havivah Saltz. Through February.

ON THE STREET Frankenstein Lives! Rose of Athens Theatre chronicles the life of young gothic novelist Mary Shelley.

The show is available for booking through March. 706-340-9181, www.roseofathens.org Dance Instructor Recruitment (East Athens Educational Dance Center) The ACC Leisure Department is currently recruiting dance instructors to teach summer classes in ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop and modern, May 23–July 22. Call for information. 706-6132624 Film Athens Filmakers, crew members and production support services: Get listed in Film Athens’

new searchable Production Directory at http://filmathens.net.

FREE! Tax Preparation Assistance (Various Locations) Now scheduling appointments for low- to middle-income families at the Epps Bridge Parkway Kroger and Oconee County Library.

706-543-9511 Mardi Gras 10K (Terrapin Beer Co.) After completing the 10K, enjoy some brews. Proceeds benefit Bigger Vision Community Shelter and the Stable Foundation. Mar. 5, 10 a.m. www.mardigras10kathens.org Volunteer in Peru Learn Spanish and stay with a host family while working in a school, orphanage, medical clinic or animal shelter. information@venperu.org, www.venperu.org f

FEBRUARY 23, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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comics

26

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 23, 2011

reality check Matters Of The Heart And Loins A few years ago, I reconnected with a longlost grade school classmate who moved out of the country and came home for a summer.

When we met up, I didn’t know that she had a fairly cute older brother who I got along with right away. And by “got along with,” I mean we wasted no time getting our lips acquainted at a club that evening. At a beach trip later that week, I slept with the brother several times. Take note that I’m from a fairly conservative Asian country, where it’s a little “inappropriate” to start getting cozy with a guy you just met, especially if that guy happens to be a long-lost friend’s older brother. My friend did not comment about my summer fling, and we never talked about it. I’m guessing she doesn’t hate me for it because she keeps on meeting up with me every time she comes home for vacation. As for her older brother, we kept in touch through Facebook but stopped talking when he got a girlfriend a few months later.

Fast forward to 2011… the brother is getting married in a few months and I’m very happy for him, as I am currently in a stable and loving relationship myself. The last thing I expected was an invitation to his wedding, though. During her last visit, she mentioned that her brother was holding his wedding at a beach nearby and said that I should come.

I thought that she was just being nice when she said that, but just now she asked for my address so she can send the invitation.

I’m a little uncomfortable about going to the wedding because the brother and I haven’t spoken in over a year, and I’m not sure if he even knows that I’ve been invited. I want to ask him if I’m really on the guest list but it might be awkward. I don’t want to ask my friend if it’s cool because that would mean bringing up the fling I had with her brother.

Should I accept the invitation and go to the wedding anyway?

Reluctant Wedding Guest This is a no-brainer. There is no reason for you to feel obligated to go to this wedding. You don’t need to tell your friend that you are uncomfortable, merely that you are unavailable.

Give her your address, let her send the invitation and then tell her you are regretfully unable to attend. It doesn’t matter why, and she probably won’t ask you for an explanation (though you may want to have an excuse handy just in case). This is a big day for your friend and her brother, and you are by no means a big part of it, so there should be no expectation or obligation on your end. Don’t ask the brother anything. Just skip the event.

If you’re worried that she might be offended or think you’re avoiding her, then ask her to meet you for coffee the day after or something. But really, don’t sweat it. This is simple.

I’ve read “your” column for many moons (isn’t alliteration grand?) and I’m just wondering when you’ll include the possibility of misconstrued context (via inebriation, etc.) in your

mostly dead-on (minus the aforementioned scenario) and objectively accurate assessments of the situations presented to you in this column.

We do, in all fairness, reside in a well-known “bar-scene.” More specifically, with all of the variables which “you” have to account for, why are there no inquiries as to the quantity, type, alcohol levels, etc., of the beverages involved in each “miscommunication/misunderstanding?”

Point being, any pre-existing emotional condition is only amplified with the consumption of alcohol (not to mention the effects of other consumables available), which is a huge factor on both the delivery and the receiving ends of “communication.” Wow, apparently quotation marks are, too… Sorry.

Justsayin’ I have no idea what the meaning behind your multitude of quotation marks is, Justsayin’, but I will do my best to answer your question. Yes, alcohol is often a factor in communication, as are many other drugs. But I assume that everybody knows that already, so I don’t bother to ask people “Was he/she drunk when they said this?

Were you?” because I assume that everybody already knows this. It is what I consider to be common knowledge, in the same way that I assume people don’t expect direct and sustained eye contact from a person who is, say, driving a car.

So, for the record, I think all communication is best achieved when all parties involved are sober (unless you are in need of a bit of liquid courage, in which case I would say limit yourself to an amount of alcohol that is enough to loosen you up but not so much that it will knock you down).

If you find yourself fighting with your best friend and/or significant other repeatedly when one or both of you is drunk, or if you find that misunderstandings and emotional outbursts often arise after imbibing of any kind, then you should consider either not drinking or at least not attempting to problem solve while you are drinking. This is also why I recommend trying to deal with problems in an environment where they don’t exist: on neutral ground.

Thus, if you are having problems in the boudoir, you don’t address them when you are climbing into bed, but rather over coffee, or at dinner, where the anxiety that is directly related to the problem is not so jacked up. Similarly, if you want to talk about what a jerk your best friend becomes when she is drunk, it is best not to discuss it over a beer.

Thanks for the insight, Justsayin’. I hope this helps.

PROFESSIONAL

TATTOO ARTIST

NEEDED IMMEDIATELY Must have awesome skills, be dependable, customer service oriented, drug & alcohol free

Call 706-549-0190

8OO Oglethorpe Ave. Athens

An art bar where friends spend time together, enjoy drinks and create their own mindless masterpieces Check our online calendar for upcoming paintings and to reserve your space

www.pintsandpaints.com 675 Pulaski St. • Suite 600

Do You Want to Stop Drinking Alcohol?

Call 706-542-8350 for more information.

One More Thing: Writer Tracy McMillan offers some brutally true and hilarious insights in a new column entitled Why You’re Not Married. Check it out here: www.huffingtonpost.com/tracy-mcmillan/why-youre-notmarried_b_822088.html.

Jyl Inov

FEBRUARY 23, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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classifieds

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

Real Estate Apartments for Rent 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. $470/mo. 1 extra lg. BR, walk–in closet, lg. LR, HWflrs., on–site laundry facilities, 650 sq. ft. 18–unit complex off Milledge. Avail. March.

(706) 764-6854 or (706) 207-9902.

1BR/1BA in the Boulevard n’hood & overlooking Dwntn., freshly renovated, all electric, great places to live. $490-$695/mo. boulevard propertymanagement.com or call (706) 548-9797.

1BR $485, 2BR $549, 3BR $699/ mo.! Huge apt.s avail. now! Preleasing for summer & fall! Also, get your 1st mo. of rent free! Pet friendly, on busline, 3 mi. from campus & Dwntn. (706) 549-6254.

Restrictions apply.

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.

1BR/1BA apar tment. Great i n – t o w n , B o u l e v a rd n ’ h o o d .

Wa l k e v e r y w h e r e . Wa t e r & garbage paid. $490-$525/mo.

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

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 laundr y. Joiner Management, (706) 3536868.

2BR/2BA at The Lodge. Kitchen, LR, screened-in porch. $850/mo. + utils. Internet incl. Avail. now! Call Alice (404) 376-0987.

Downtown. University Tower, across from N. campus, corner of Lumpkin & Broad. Lg. 1BR/1BA, LR, kitchen. Avail.

June 1, 2011. $750/mo. Call (706) 255-3743.

2BR/1BA apts. Great in–town n ’ h o o d . Wa l k e v e r y w h e re .

Water & garbage paid. $655– $ 7 9 5 / m o . w w w. b o u l e v a rd propertymanagement.comor call (706) 548-9797.

4BR/2.5BA townhouse off Cedar S h o a l s . O n b u s ro u t e . P e t s 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) 6210077.

Affordable, clean & convenient!

Just $450/mo. Avail. now or prelease for Fall. Walk to ARMC/ Normaltown, 1 mi. to Dwntn.

1BR/1BA. Quiet environment. (706) 788-2152 or email thomas2785@ aol.com.

flagpole classifieds Reach Over 30,000 Readers Every Week!

Business Services Real Estate Music For Sale

Employment Vehicles Messages Personals

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Free rent 1st month! No pet fee! 2BR/2BA apt.s 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.

Loft, 640 sf. Chase Park artist complex. Granite, ceiling f a n s , w a s h e r, s t o r a g e . N i c e !

Nathan (478) 290-6283, (478) 2 7 4 - 8 1 4 1 . Wa s $ 6 0 0 , n o w $ 5 4 9 . P i c t u re s o n F a c e b o o k “Bracewell Lofts.”

Move in special! Free flat s c r e e n T V. H U D v o u c h e r s welcome! Cascades Classic City Call, (706) 543-5516, pm@ cascadesclassiccity.com.

Reduced rent! $600/mo.

1BR/1BA, LR, study, moder n kitchen, pool, gym, gated, ground floor corner unit.

Stadium Village close to UGA. Ideal for single/couple. Rob, (706) 338-4984, wimberlyme@ bellsouth.net.

Studio & 2BRs Dwntn., across from campus. Avail. for Fall. Call (404) 557-5203.

We s t s i d e c o n d o s , 2 B R / 2 B A , $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.

Commercial Property Athens executive suites.

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

Downtown business space w/ 2 parking spots. 250 W Broad St #108, zoned C-D, across from UGA in Gameday bldg. Asking $239K. Call Jim Paine, (706) 372-7300.

Eastside offices. 1060 Gaines School Rd. Rent 1200 sq. ft. $1200/ mo., 450 sq. ft.$600/mo., 150 sq. ft. $300/mo. (706) 546-1615 or athenstownproperties.com.



Office/warehouse space avail. immediately. 1500 sf., 1600 sf., 2200 sf., & 4500 sf. (can combine). $750/mo. to $2300/mo.

Located .5 mile from the Loop, great co-tenants, flexible space.

Call Bryan Austin, (706) 353-1039.

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

Unique 40’ x 80’ space at Chase Park artist complex. Open space ready for talented entrepreneur.

Zoned E-O. Live/work optional.

(478) 290-6283. $129,000. Pictures on Facebook “Bracewell Lofts.”

Warehouse/office/studio. Fenced yd., A/C, great light, roll-up door, view of river, perfect for service industry. Rent 25% to 100% of 3500 sq. ft. bldg. $200-1250/mo. Cole, (706) 202-2733.

Condos for Rent 2BR/2.5BA town homes on Old Epps Bridge Rd. Each spacious condo is 1200 sq. ft. Units ranging from $625-$800/mo.

Prelease for Fall. (706) 202-9905. athensarearentals@gmail.com.

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

28

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 23, 2011

Downtown. University Tower on Broad across from N. Campus.

Large 1BR/1BA, $84,500. Agents welcome 3%. Call (706) 2553743.

Duplexes For Rent

2BR/1BA, 2795 Danielsville Rd. 5 mi. north of Dwntn. Fenced yd., good closet space, W/D avail. $535/mo. + 1 mo. security dep.

Avail. now. (706) 424-1571.

2BR/1BA house w/ lg. LR & small fenced-in back yd. 688 Pulaski St. 1/2 mile from Dwntn. $700/mo. + $400 deposit. Call (404) 824-8009 or (757) 777-5047.

2BR/2BA + office. Avail. now! FP, all appliances, incl. W/D, fenced back yd., lg. storage bldg.

Eastside. Rent $750/mo. minus possible discount. Owner/agent.

Call (706) 340-2450.

Avail. now. 2BR/1BA duplex on Westside. 171 Nicole Cir. W/D conn. FP, CHAC, fenced yd. $425/ mo. + $425 deposit. (706) 4984733.

251 Magnolia St. 2BR/1BA. Pets welcome. Newly remodeled, fenced-in yd. $650/mo. Call (706) 714-4603.

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) 7401514 toll free.

Houses for Rent $900/mo. Blocks from UGA & Dwntn. Athens. 3BR/1BA, CHAC, totally remodeled, tall ceilings, HWflrs., tile, W/D, front porch. 500 Willow St. Avail. now. Owner/Agent, call Robin (770) 265-6509. $650/mo. 3BR/1BA. 115/121 E. Carver Dr. Fenced–in yd. Tile & HWflrs. CHAC, W/D hookups, DW. Pets welcome. Avail. now! (706) 614-8335.

1BR cottage. 1/4 mi. from campus.

100 yrs. old. HWflrs. Big kitchen.

All appls incl. Front/back porch.

No pets, N/S. $600/mo. Avail. now.

(770) 995-6788.

2, 3, 4 & 5 BR houses for rent!

Many locations & options to choose from. Call (706) 3401215 or check us out at www. athensrealestategroup.com.

Over 400 Apartments,

Condos, Duplexes, Townhouses and Houses to Choose From Call Today C. Hamilton & Associates, Inc.

2 & 3BR super nice houses in the Boulevard n’hood. Walk to town & campus. 734 Barber St., 340 Barber St., 156 Athens Ave., 137 Cohen, boulevard propertymanagement. comorcall (706) 548-9797.

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.

2BR/1BA, 340 Ruth St. Cool old house w/ HWflrs., all appliances, pet-friendly, $800/ mo., avail. 8/1. (706) 713-0626, www.newagepropertiesathens. com.

PLACE AN AD

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

Condos For Sale

1, 2, 3 & 4BR houses & apartments, avail. Fall, historic Boulevard n’hood. (706) 548-9797, boulevard propertymanagement.com.

* 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

2BR/2.5BA townhome less than 1 mile to campus. $650/mo.

W/D downstairs. Pool on site.

Avail. Aug. 1. Pets OK w/ fee.

(706) 207-4953.

for Move-In Specials!

2BR/2BA perfect Dwntn. location.

New. 1 mi. from Arch. Stainless, HWflrs., tile, covered porches. Offstreet parking. W/D incl. Avail. Fall 2011. $1050/mo. Aaron (706) 2072957.

3BR/2BA house. Off of Whitehall.

Quiet street, fenced yd., wood flrs. downstairs, W/D. Avail. 5/1. $900/ mo. + dep. (706) 543-5497.

3 lg. BR/2.5BA, balcony off 1BR, all appliances, 2 car garage, Eastside, avail. now! $850/mo. Rent or sell.

Call (706) 340-2450.

3BR/2BA, $995/mo., Oconee Co., McRee Mill Lane, bonus room.

Avail. now. Call (706) 769-5957.

3BR/1BA, lg. rooms, W/D, DW, deck, screen porch, alarm system, pets OK, in-town Athens off First St. $695/ mo. Call Mike. (706) 202-5259.

3BR/1.5BA. Pets welcome. Carport, newly remodeled, fenced-in yd. $795/mo. 255 Magnolia St. Call (706) 714-4603.

3BR/1.5BA house w/ central HVAC, HWflrs., carport, lg. fenced back yd. on quiet cul-de-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.

4BR/4BA new house on S. Milledge, $1700/mo.! 4BR/3.5BA, $1600/mo.

Hardwoods, granite, tile, stainless appliances, walk-in closets & large BRs! Call (706) 340-1215 or www. athensrealestategroup.com.

Select Properties are

Pet-Friendly Close to Campus

Pre-Leasing Year-Round

706-613-9001

www.athens-ga-rental.com

4BR/3BA historic home in Blvd. area. High ceilings, new everything. $2000/mo. Call Valerio Properties, (706) 546-6900.

4BR/4BA. New, Dwntn. 1 mi. from Arch. Stainless, HWflrs., tile, covered porches. Choose from multiple homes. W/D incl. Avail. Fall. $1900/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.

580 Aubrey Dr., Bogart. 3BR/1BA. HWflrs., carpet, CHAC, W/D hook-up, lg. yd. Sec. sys., landlord mows lawn, GRFA welcome. $800/mo + dep.

Avail. now! (770) 725-7748.

80 acre farmhouse between Winterville & Colbert. LR, DR, 2 or 3BR/1BA, HWflrs., CHAC, fenced-in back yd. $600/mo. + deposit. Avail. May 1.

Reference req’d. (706) 742-2004.

Avail. March 1st! 2BR/1BA at 1285 Boulevard. CHAC, W/D, back yd., pets OK, great n’hood! $850/mo.

(706) 372-2834.

Eastside 4BR/2BA home. $700/mo. incl. trash & lawn care. All appls incl. Fenced-in back yd., pets OK. Call (706) 201-2121.

Eastside 2BR/1BA split lvl. Lg. lv. area splits BRs. Lg. kitchen. Private drive. Big back yd. Storage bldg.

Appls. incl. $625/mo. + dep. Pet negotiable. (706) 248-7338.

Great little house near Dwntn. LR/ DR/office. HWflrs. Quiet n’hood, Eastside. $650/mo. $600/mo. if paid on/before 1st. Call Dan, (678) 643-5851.

Homewood Hills brick ranch.

3BR/2BA, LR, DR, den, gas FP, fenced back yd. All appliances incl. W/D. $950/mo. Call Teri, (706) 717-0479.

I heart Flagpole Classifieds!

Normaltown. 3BR/2BA, CHAC, modern kitchen, HWflrs., spacious front porch, plenty of off-street parking, avail. 3/1. (706) 543-6368.

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 4BR/4BA houses! Great Dwntn. location! Lg. BRs, tile, HWflrs., $1900/mo., avail. 8/1. www.newagepropertiesathens. com, (706) 713-0626.

Houses for Sale Artist inspired 3BR/2BA home w/ wrap-around porch & studio on Dearing St. just off of Milledge. $439,900. Call Reign at Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty, (706) 372-4166.

Aw e s o m e i n - t o w n 2 B R / 1 B A .

Fenced back yd. w/ cool deck in historic Cobbham. Between Milledge & King. $150,000. Call Reign at Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty, (706) 372-4166.

Charming, classic, updated cottage in Normaltown. 2BR/2BA w / s u n ro o m . $ 1 8 8 , 0 0 0 , 2 4 8 Georgia Ave. Antique heart pine, high ceilings. (706) 850-1175 or (678) 358-5181. By appt. only.

Land for Sale 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).

Parking & Storage UGA parking spaces. Across the street from campus, law & library. $30/mo. 6 month minimum. Contact Susan, (706) 354-4261.

Pre-Leasing 1BR/1BA Hillside Apt. $475/ mo. $550/mo. w/ W/D. Water incl. Blocks from campus. Joiner Management: (706) 353-6868, or text “hillside” to 41513. www. joinermanagement.com.

1BR/1BA, LynnRock Apts. $490/ mo. w/ DW, water incl. Blocks from campus off Baxter St. Joiner Management, (706) 353-6868, or text “lynnrock” to 41513. www. joinermanagement.com.

2BR/2BA flats & town homes.

Patriot Park, $625 w/ W/D, DW, quiet, small 7 unit building. Joiner Management, (706) 353-6868 or text “patriot” to 41513. www. joinermanagement.com.

2BR/2.5BA townhome, Cedar Bluff, Eastside. $670/mo. w/ W/D, DW, lg. rooms. www.joinermanagement. com, text “cedar” to 41513, Joiner Management, (706) 353-6868.

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.

Amazing renovated 5BR/3BA. 1/2 mi. from campus. 2 LRs, 2 kitchens, big BRs, huge deck, plenty of parking. DW, W/D, CHAC. Pets OK. Avail. 8/1. $1900/mo. (706) 3692908.

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) 369-2908.

Arbor Creek: 1 & 2 BRs, $550 to $655/mo. W/D, DW, pool. w w w. j o i n e r m a n a g e m e n t . c o m , text “arbor” to 41513, Joiner Management, (706) 353-6868.

Available now. Barnett Ridge, 2BR/2BA flats. Eastside. $625/mo.

Lots of room for the price. W/D, DW incl. www.joinermanagement. com, text “barnett” to 41513, Joiner Management, (706) 353-6868.

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.

B e s t re n t a l s i n A t h e n s !

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.

Dearing Garden, 1, 2, 3BR flats. $550 to 900/mo. W/D, DW. Block from campus off Baxter St. Joiner Management, (706) 850-7727, text “dearing” to 41513. www. joinermanagement.com.

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.

Huge! 8BR/8BA duplex 1/2 mi. from campus. Each side is 4BR/4BA, front porch, back deck, private parking, DW, W/D, HVAC, all electric, avail.

8/1. $1800/mo. per side. Call (706) 369-2908.

R o y a l O a k s To w n h o m e s .

2BR/2BA, $685/mo., W/D incl., pool & volleyball. Joiner Management: (706) 353-6868, www.joinermanagement.com, or text “royal” to 41513.

Studios: 1BR/2BR/3BR/4BR units throughout Nor maltown, Boulevard, ARMC, & 5 Pts. avail. Fall. Please visit valerioproperties.com or call us, (706) 549-6900.

Shoal Creek: 1 & 2 BRs, $575 to $675. W/D, DW, ice-maker, pool. w w w. j o i n e r m a n a g e m e n t . c o m , text “shoalcreek” to 41513, or call Joiner Management, (706) 850-7727.

Stonecrest, 2 & 3 BRs, $800 to $1050/mo. W/D, DW, microwave, pool. www.joinermanagement.com, text “stonecrest” to 41513, or call Joiner Management, (706) 8507727.

Roommates F w/ rooms to rent. Private BRs w/ BAs in 4BR home. All amenities.

Free cable, internet! Mile from UGA. $460/mo. Must see. Jenny, (843) 229-4483.

Huge room for rent w/ private entry. $420/mo. Pay weekly or monthly.

W/D, utils. incl. Bigger than master BR. (678) 698-4260.

Lg. house. 2BR/1BA, Pulaski St. $400/mo. + 1/2 utils. Mostly furnished. 1/2 mi. from Dwntn.

CHAC, W/D, DW, HWflrs., 1 acre lot. 12 ft. ceilings, porches, deck.

(706) 369-8697.

Share lg. 2BR/1BA, $550/mo. All utils. incl. Lg. screened-in back porch. Furnished except BR. Must love animals. Pay wkly. or mthly.

Call business phone, (706) 7051141.

West side. Rent upstairs of house w/ 1 full BA, BR, & den. Free range of whole house. $400/mo. No utils. charge. Great n’hood off Mitchell Bridge. (770) 377-6305.

Rooms for Rent Room avail. in 2BR apt. Big room, cheap utils., free water/trash. Rent is $348/mo. Walking distance to Dwntn. (in Blvd. area). Avail. immediately. Lease ends 7/31.

Email iloveprince@gmail.com for more info.



Sub-lease

2BR/2BA house, 1060 Reese. Sublease until Aug., option to renew. CHAC, W/D, big fenced back yd. w/ lg. screened “porch.” Amazing, must see. (706) 254-5862 or (706) 424-1757.

Instruction Athens School of Music.

Instruction in guitar, bass, drums, piano, voice, brass, woodwinds, strings, banjo, mandolin, fiddle & more. From beginner to expert.

Instrument repairs avail. Visit www.

AthensSchoolofMusic.com, (706) 543-5800.

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

R.E.M., Widespread Panic, C r a c k e r, B o b M o u l d , J o h n B e r r y, A b b e y R o a d L i v e ! , Squat. (706) 549-1567.

W e d d i n g b a n d s . Q u a l i t y, professional bands. Weddings, par ties. Rock, jazz, etc. Call Classic City Entertainment.

(706) 549-1567. www. classiccityenter tainment.com.

Featuring The Magictones Athens’ premiere wedding & party band. www. themagictones.com.

Musicians Wanted Singer wanted for established, working blues band in Athens.

Influences are everything from Johnny Winter & Muddy Waters to Stevie Ray Vaughn. Call (706) 5482874.

Studios SmallHouseCreative.

Seriously high-end analog gear! Seriously affordable!

Mix, master & track in P r o To o l s H D 2 A c c e l - b a s e d re c o rd i n g s t u d i o o n A t h e n s ’ Eastside. Feel the love! www. roomfiftythree.com.

Services

For Sale

Cleaning

Antiques

If you are looking for a local reliable, trustworthy cleaner who uses earth-friendly products, call Nick. I am t h o ro u g h & e ff i c i e n t , therefore very easy on the budget! Phone or text (706) 851-9087. Email Nick@ goodworld.biz. A l s o P e t Friendly!

Antiques & jewels sale!

Antique furniture, estate j e w e l r y, f i n e o i l p a i n t i n g s , P e r s i a n r u g s , s i l v e r, c h i n a , s t a i n e d g l a s s & m o re . O p e n 12-5 daily except Sun. & Mon. by chance or appt. (706) 3403717. 290 N. Milledge Ave. Athens. Antiques-jewels.com.

Furniture All new pillow-top mattress set, $139. Sofa & love-seat, $399.

5-piece bedroom set, $399. (706) 612-8004.

Pillowtop queen mattress set. Never used. Still in factory plastic. $260.

(706) 769-1959. Delivery avail.

Miscellaneous Go to Agora! Cool & affordable!

Your favorite everything store!

Specializing in retro goods, antiques, furniture, clothes, records & players plus more! 260 W. Clayton St., (706) 316-0130.

Pets w w w. D o w n t o w n A t h e n s Ve t . com. February special!

February is dental month! $50 rebate off a dental ultra-sonic cleaning & polish w/ purchase of a bag of Purina Dental Health pet food. Call or visit today! 298 Prince Ave. (706) 425-5099.

Music Announcements Chagrin the naysayers, including your parents. Get a tattoo.

Jobs Full-time Booth rent position avail. for hair stylist in a cozy salon in Chase Park Warehouses. Hours/ days flexible, full/part time. honeyssalon@gmail.com.

Elements Salon in 5 Pts. seeks licensed hairstylist to join our team! Commissioned or booth rental positions! Please apply in person. 1699 S. Lumpkin St. Flora Hydroponics is now hiring! Position incl. sales, shipping & receiving, stocking & inventory control. Experience req’d. Knowledge of industr y pref’d. Send resumes to info@ florahydroponics.com.

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.

Local fence company looking for experienced fence installation crew leader capable of independent installation w/ out supervision. Must be well versed in all types of fences.

Must have valid drivers license.

Pay negotiable based upon experience & references.

Contact (706) 354-0893 for inquiries.

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

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

Shenanigans Salon is 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.

UberPrints.com is hiring!

We’re looking for bright, outgoing people to join our customer service team FT. Great work environment. Our office is located near Dwntn. Athens.

Vi s i t u b e r p r i n t s . c o m / j o b s t o learn more about the position & to apply.

Health

Opportunities

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).

Are you a code guru? Know your way around web apps? Develop cool new web applications.

Great pay & benefits. Visit www. cybersprocket.com for more info (AAN CAN).

Massage Therapeutic massage. 20 yrs. exp. Voted best in Athens. Deep tissue or light pressure according to client. 1st time client discount!

Nationally cert. Lics. #401605-00.

Call Elizabeth at (706) 338-2001.

Misc. Services Ready to revamp your resume? Renew your career? Certified coach now meeting clients Dwntn. at WorkSpace Athens. 1-on-1 coaching, assistance w/ resumes/cover letters/grad. school applications. Visit www. higheredcareercoach.com or call Sean, (706) 363-0539.

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.

Dependable person needed during the evening hrs. helping a young man confined to a wheelchair. In exchange for free rent in apt., food, utils. & other amenities. Call (706) 316-2798 or (706) 5499456.

Paid in advance! Make $1000/ w k . m a i l i n g b ro c h u re s f ro m home! Guaranteed income!

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

Phone actresses from home. Best payouts, busy system, bilingual/ Spanish a plus. Must have landline, good voice & wknd. avail. (800) 4037772, lipservice.net (AAN CAN).

Part-time Mystery shoppers earn up to $100/day. Undercover shoppers needed to judge retail & dining establishments. No exp. req’d.

(800) 743-8535.

Vehicles Autos 1992 Mark III edition Chevy Van. 119,500 miles. Extended roof. New transmission, brakes, radiator, water pump, front tires & recent tune-up. $2600. (706) 589-5568.

2009 Toyota Prius, excellent condition, new tires, 31K, navigation, JBL Sound - $19,800.

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

Notices Organizations Seeking women ages 25 to 45 for a study examining daily energy e x p e n d i t u re .

Non-smoking, overweight females sought for a 12 wk. study to examine the effects of a nutritional product on how many calories you burn daily.

Participants can earn up to $750 w/ successful completion of all testing. Contact: Claire Maust at ugaprojectwasabi@gmail.com or (706) 688-9297.

The University of Georgia Kinesiology department is seeking manual wheelchair users w/ a spinal cord injury for a physical a c t i v i t y m e a s u re m e n t s t u d y.

Participants can earn up to $50 for completing a 2-hour session at UGA & then wearing unobtrusive activity measurement devices at home for a 3-day period. Contact Rachelle Acitelli, rach1@uga.edu.

Pets I’m John Wayne, a beagle. I live in a house w/ 4 college students.

Nobody comes looking for me when I go sniffing the n’hood. The humans where I stay say they don’t want me.

A kind lady is helping me until I can find a real home, but there’s a chow here who’s upset about it.I’m 4 yrs. old & a little bit overweight (& on a diet). I can’t have puppies of my own, but I sure would love to live with some sweet humans. Please call (706) 548-3505.

Kitty Cams project needs kitties!

Help explore cat behavior w/ UGA & National Geographic by placing a small video camera on your pet.

Contact us if you live in AthensClarke County & own a cat that roams outdoors: kittycams@warnell. uga.edu. Participants receive a free health screening & annual vaccines for enrolled cats.

Help wanted. Extra income!

Assembling CD cases from home!

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The Problem of Bethel Are We Helping Athens’ Poor to Help Themselves?

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is morning and just above 20 degrees in one of the poorest places in America, Athens’ Bethel Midtown Village. A crime prevention meeting has brought residents out into the frigid morning. About a dozen are in attendance, mostly residents and mostly young mothers. Though crime has decreased over the past year or so, it remains a crisis: both the crime itself and the perception of it outside Bethel. This morning’s is the second meeting; attendees from the first meeting are joined by newcomers. The meeting space has been carved out of an environment architecturally averse to such assemblies. The neighborhood was not built with these sorts of community gatherings in mind; it is composed only of isolated and uniform living units. Today, we meet in the basement of one of the buildings.

It is also the workmen’s shop, apparently. Men come and go with various tools during the meeting. A few crayons and a row of children’s books suggest another use for the room.

The meeting begins with a discussion of Atlanta’s trend of destroying public housing neighborhoods. Atlanta recently became the first city in the United States to have liquidated all of its public housing; no one knows where the scattered former residents have ended up. A newspaper article about the trend is passed around. It hits home, so to speak.

Bethel residents have been subjected to two years’ worth of rumors about their neighborhood suffering that same fate. It has been suggested that demolishing Bethel would eliminate the crimes that currently take place there (rather than simply displace them). One young mother in attendance explains how both she and her son worry about that potentiality. He wakes up some mornings and asks his mother if they are still safe from losing their home. For her to comfort the child is to lie; she’s had the same dreams, she confesses.

T

hat sort of powerlessness is what defines the problems at Bethel.

Children turn to their parents for security, but parents have no place to turn, themselves. The parents are overwhelmingly women and overwhelmingly young. In fact, Bethel appears to be almost entirely women and children. A recent survey of Bethel residents netted 64 female respondents to a single male. Of those women, most were young mothers; half were under 30. The crime prevention meetings are almost entirely female affairs.

Arrayed against these young women and children is a set of injurious forces and circumstances against which no one in the neighborhood is much prepared to defend.

The worst national economy in 75 years has made Athens’ historically impoverished economy somehow even worse. Last year, Forbes Magazine named Athens one of the 10 most economically unequal cities in America, with the city’s GINI coefficient (the measure of wealth disparity used by the United Nations and the CIA) worse than that of Cambodia and the Dominican Republic. It is well known that the Athens’ poverty rate is regularly one of the highest in the nation, nearly on par with dying rust-belt cities like Detroit. A vibrant drug market fueled by the poverty of many Athenians and the wealth of many students can only hoped to be feebly monitored by police; there is no containing it. With its downtown location, Bethel serves as a convenient hub for drug sales.

The phenomenon known as the feminization of poverty compounds these already dire circumstances. A convergence of patriarchy and rigid capitalist orthodoxies places the brunt of poverty on women, both in the United States and internationally. In the United States, poor women of color often find themselves triply disadvantaged. In no dimension of social, political or economic life do they find themselves in a position of relative power. It starts in the home, as contemporary American familial ethics still place the responsibility of child care routinely on the woman.

But though normative culture demands that mothering remain the responsibility of women, recent decades have added the burden of full-time work (or more) to single mothers.

The welfare reforms of the Clinton era codified this new demand. Never mind that every relevant economic trend clearly demonstrates the increasing difficulty of a single income providing enough for even one mouth; welfare reform commanded the abandonment of the children so that young mothers could join the low-wage workforce, consistently earning less than their male counterparts.

A

nd then there are the specific difficulties endemic to Bethel. Majority ownership of Bethel is controlled by H.J. Russell and Company, a massive real estate development and property management firm based in Atlanta. This sets Bethel apart from other local public housing, which is managed by the Athens Housing Authority, a seemingly well-funded and sufficiently staffed agency whose only job is to operate and maintain public housing in Athens—except for Bethel.

H.J. Russell, on the other hand, is an absentee landlord with what can only be described as divided attention. The company’s web page proudly announces its high-profile construction and development projects for multibillion dollar global corporations, while Bethel appears to be an afterthought. Big-ticket crime prevention needs, such as an entrance gate that actually works (Bethel’s gate opening onto College Avenue routinely sits wide open in disrepair), are rarely met, if at all.

Even simple weather stripping is difficult to convince Russell to provide: residents complain about inexplicably high heating bills (as much as $300–$400 per winter month for the small units) while cold air enters unhindered through cracks around doors and windows.

To

be fair, Russell has pitched in lately on G.E.D. and “leadership” classes for Bethel residents, spending a reported $16,000 on the educational measures. The threat of closure—loudest in early 2009, when ACC Police Chief Jack Lumpkin and County Attorney Bill Berryman sent a letter to H.J. Russell threatening to condemn the property if the company didn’t take measures to reduce crime there—seems to have managed to loosen Russell’s purse strings somewhat, but the company still shies from the substantial construction costs involved in assuredly securing the neighborhood. The residents agree that the current gate’s design is flawed, as its large swinging doors act as sails in the wind and are often wrenched open. A new, sliding gate is needed, they say. Others suggest a more ambitious plan, with the gate moved from its College Avenue location. But seeing as residents have waited for over a year for minor repairs on

the existing gate, it is unlikely that Russell will eagerly step up with a final, expensive replacement. To hire an off-duty police officer as a guard, the group agrees, is the only sure way to ensure that outside crime stays outside. Russell did employ off-duty ACC police officers for a short time with great success, but the company soon ended the practice, citing costs.

“Maybe we could have a fundraiser,” offers one the mothers at the meeting. In the absence of help from H.J. Russell or the ACC government and police, residents are left to imagine bake sales or barbecues of an order large enough to do what is necessary. Given the growing costs of the crime prevention measures being discussed, any fundraiser conducted by Bethel residents would likely be magnificently insufficient—there simply isn’t much money in Bethel households. Of the 65 respondents to the neighborhood survey, 55 did not have bank accounts. And if the loudest voices from the community at large are any indication, wider Athens would be loath to contribute a great deal to Bethel residents.

It is a remarkable suggestion: a resident fundraiser to pay for measures demanded by the government and all but ignored by the multimillion dollar corporation whose responsibility it is to fulfill them.

B

ut that is where more and more Americans find themselves: in a sort of no-man’s-land exposed by the shrinking away of the state and the encroachment of the slave-wage-oriented globalized economy.

It is populations like the residents of Bethel who risk being the next to fall between the widening cracks. Politicians, especially in the South, are rewarded for how stridently they promise to remove funding from the public sphere: schools, public works, social safety net measures and so forth. These expenditures are seen to modern conservatives as burdens on the state and obstacles to corporate growth.

Essential to the viability of their theory, however, is that the formerly state-subsidized functions be provided in the for-profit, corporate market. The whole promise of the conservative politico-economic project depends on there being an economy prepared to offer what the state formerly did. If Bethel is any reliable indication, the corporate sphere is unprepared and unwilling to step up to provide an acceptable substitute for publicly subsidized housing, just as the global wage market is demonstrating its inability to compensate for the erosion of social welfare programs.

The problems of Bethel resist quick and easy fixes. The dilemma is at once local and global; it is systemic. Politicians and commentators on the Right indulge their audiences in simplistic notions of sheer self-determination that rely more on well-worn prejudices than any sort of thorough analysis. But bitter vituperation of those in poverty will not magically correct deep-seated and densely complex social ills. Others too hopefully imagine that charity is sufficient for the task. But the time for naïveté and wishful thinking is nearing its end. Crises in Bethel and places like it are everyone’s problem. As the jobs leave and state budgets dry up, many more Americans can expect insecurity and trouble, and due to the very same factors at work in Bethel. We ignore its example at our own peril.

Matthew Pulver

2011

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