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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 21, 2011

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THIS WEEK’S ISSUE:

God Rest Ye

City Dope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

“At this festive season of the year, Mr. Scrooge,” said the gentleman, taking up a pen, “it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and Destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir.”

“Are there no prisons?” asked Scrooge.

“Plenty of prisons,” said the gentleman, laying down the pen again.

“And the Union workhouses?” demanded Scrooge. “Are they still in operation?”

“They are. Still,” returned the gentleman, “I wish I could say they were not.”

Merry Christmas, y’all! I haven’t had the Christmas spirit in a pretty long while, so I thought I’d set my taste buds back to zero and read A Christmas Carol, to savor that original template of Bah! Humbug! yielding to a concern for humanity. Since the run-up to Yuletide has coincided with the Republican debates, we have been reminded that the rich shall inherit the Earth, and that they deserve to, because they are job creators, and those who are not, those who have no jobs, who have lost their homes, who have no insurance to pay for the cost of illness… well, not everybody can be a winner in the race of life.

We should indeed turn to Dickens, for his world was the quintessential working out of these iron rules of economics unfettered by the bleeding hearts of liberals.

Read Dickens, and get it straight where we’re headed. Read Dickens, and understand this reality show, where only the strong and the privileged stay on the island. Read Dickens, and sleep better at night just knowing that this is the way things are, and the way they are supposed to be. But if you do read Dickens, be prepared, too, for the spirits that come in the night.

When they do, you, too, may be given pause at what our corporatocracy is wreaking on our people, with its loopholes and tax cuts paid for by downgrading education, by our war economy that has unlimited funds for bombs and drones but little for health, by our denigration of government and the acquiescence of both our political parties and our government institutions in the exaltation of corporate control.

Read Dickens, and see what our return to Victorian values means for human life. Read Dickens, and wonder if there is any chance that we as a country can somehow know the epiphany that generated even in Ebenezer Scrooge a regard for his employee, his family and the people who made up the society surrounding him.

Read Dickens, and hope that there is hope for us yet, that some spirit will come to us and open our eyes before it is too late, before we must forever confront the results of our neglect.

They were a boy and a girl. Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish; but prostrate, too, in their humility.

Where graceful youth should have filled their features out, and touched them with its freshest tints, a stale and shrivelled hand, like that of age, had pinched, and twisted them, and pulled them into shreds. Where angels might have sat enthroned, devils lurked, and glared out menacing. No change, no degradation, no perversion of humanity, in any grade, through all the mysteries of wonderful creation, has monsters half so horrible and dread.

Scrooge started back, appalled. Having them shown to him in this way, he tried to say they were fine children, but the words choked themselves, rather than be parties to a lie of such enormous magnitude. ”Spirit, are they yours?“ Scrooge could say no more. ”They are Man’s,“ said the Spirit, looking down upon them. ”And they cling to me, appealing from their fathers.

This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased… “ Have they no refuge or resource?“ cried Scrooge. ”Are there no prisons?“ said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. ”Are there no workhouses?“ Charles Dickens and Pete McCommons editor@flagpole.com

News & Features Athens News and Views

Some cautious optimism for a holiday season—and new year—full of peace and unity.

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Athens Rising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 What’s Up in New Development

The eastern slope of downtown is where Athens began, and a perfect place to initiate a new vision for its future.

Arts & Events Art Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Village People

Jill Carnes’ drawings seem almost musical in their interplay of pattern and color.

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Young Goethe in Love offers genuine, fleet-footed charm.

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Mixtape Wars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Holiday Cheer: Tobias vs. Lewis

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TOP 11 ALBUMS. . . . . . . . . . . 16 TOP 10 SHOWS. . . . . . . . . . . . 17 THE CALENDAR!. . . . . . . . . . . 18 BULLETIN BOARD. . . . . . . . . . 22 ART AROUND TOWN . . . . . . . . 23 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 CROSSWORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 COMICS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 REALITY CHECK. . . . . . . . . . . 26 EVERYDAY PEOPLE. . . . . . . . . 27

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city dope Athens News and Views Racial politics in Athens are a mess, despite the best efforts of hard-working, well-meaning people in all segments of the community. Why is that? This is a progressiveminded city, for the most part, and whatever your position on what that’s worth, a big part of what it entails is a serious intent to correct the harms brought about by racial injustice, our nation’s—and especially, our region’s— original sin.

But despite the seriousness of that intent, we’re continually ranked among the United States’ most impoverished and economically unequal counties. That poverty is concentrated in Athens’ minority communities, and contrasts starkly with the mostly white, UGAcentered upper middle class that unsurprisingly dominates local politics. And however much all those politically active white people may want to help improve the situation for black people in poverty, that awful contrast is always there, which makes for some pretty raw relations. It creates divisions in places where unity is needed, and exacerbates divisions in places where they already exist. A couple of events here last week shot some light into that divide.

Some white residents of the now partially gentrified but once almost exclusively black neighborhood that stretches eastward from the tract of land that will soon be developed by the Atlanta firm Selig—with a 94,000-square-foot Walmart as the project’s “anchor,” as currently planned—had organized a neighborhood meeting at the East Athens Community Center. It was envisioned, in part, as a chance to get members of the East Athens African-American community, whose interests had been so much discussed in terms of the development, actually involved in the conversation—a good goal. But early in the meeting, some of the most impassioned testimonials by white residents were centered on the historic nature of the development site, and the need to prevent its special ambiance from being disturbed by something like a Walmart.

Val Freeman, a longtime resident of the neighborhood who was one of about 10 African Americans in the audience of about 40 neighbors, was clearly put off. She said she didn’t understand why people were so concerned about a bunch of old sheds and brick ruins when there was a whole neighborhood behind them that was full of poor people who need access to groceries and jobs. Walking past the fenced-off, overgrown and unused Armstrong & Dobbs site, she said, “I see something different from what you see.” As a veteran of local anti-poverty initiatives— including a campaign to keep the Lexington Road Walmart from locating there—Freeman was well aware of the complexity of the issues on the table. But her perception was that the interests of a large segment of the community weren’t being considered, and she emphatically brought them to the fore.

Of course, the vast majority of people at the meeting, white and black, were fully conscious of the need for groceries in that part of town, and of the fact that historic preservation is not the top concern of people trying to fight their way out of poverty. But the conversation in the room hadn’t yet been framed to give those factors their proper importance, and that needed to be corrected. Val Freeman, who had felt the need to state outright that she was speaking “from a black person’s perspective,” did so. The rest of the meeting

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was focused on the needs of all the people in the neighborhood, and how they might be addressed by the development with as little negative collateral impact as possible. It was agreed that this discussion among neighbors should continue, and that a concerted effort was needed to get more people in the area informed and involved.

The next day, there was a meeting of the committee that’s been assigned the task of determining whether Athens-Clarke County’s two commission “superdistricts” have the effect of diluting minority voting strength.

That’s an extremely valid question, but in this case it’s being asked in the context of a local redistricting process that’s been shaped to a great extent by state legislators whose agenda, it’s fair to speculate, has more to do with strengthening the voting power of conservatives in Athens than that of minorities.

That backdrop has understandably led to some defensiveness on the part of many who are active in Athens’ local politics, who resent what they perceive as the hijacking of our local government process. That attitude was on full display at the committee meeting last week, as members pored over ACC voting data reaching back to 1996 with an eye toward analyzing minority participation. What they found was that Athens has a high rate of election turnout among registered non-white voters, which was cited as clear evidence that the existence of superdistricts hasn’t harmed minority voting strength.

That’s ridiculous: one might just as well offer the same data as evidence that our Republican-gerrymandered state legislative districts have no such negative effect. Why would a progressive committee member like Gwen O’Looney, a former mayor whose alliances in the black community are as strong and meaningful as those of any white politician Athens has ever known, draw such a faulty conclusion and suggest that it should be sufficient to put the issue of the superdistricts firmly to rest?

The answer, of course, is to get the question off the table. Because those who frame it properly—as a matter of whether the overlaying of two districts with strong white majorities prevents minorities from being proportionally represented on the commission— also tend to answer it too simply, using the assumption that white voters in Athens won’t elect black candidates, which is far from absolutely true. And with the dubious intent of the legislators hanging over the committee’s deliberations, there’s plenty of motivation for its members to dispense with the question quickly—even if that means failing to treat it with its due rigor and sincerity.

So, we have people talking past each other on a personal level, which can be overcome with diligence and commitment from those involved in the conversations, and people failing to be honest with themselves and each other on a political level, which is going to be harder to resolve. What does all this show?

Are we learning anything as we stare across the deep gap that divides our community? The only way we can is to start talking to each other with honesty, even if it’s painful, and keep doing it, like the people at that community meeting last week. No, nothing got resolved that night, but with a few thousand more nights like it, you can bet something will.

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 21, 2011

Dave Marr news@flagpole.com

city pages Reducing Traffic Flow on Prince Ave. Still a Divisive Proposition The Athens-Clarke County Planning Department held a third public presentation and input session on its Prince Avenue corridor study Dec. 12 at Piedmont College. The meeting distinguished itself from previous input sessions in that planning staff made a deliberate attempt to engage property and business owners along Prince Avenue, inviting them to voice their opinions both formally and informally. Previous input sessions have attracted mainly neighborhood residents. Of the two corridor studies currently underway by Planning staff, the Prince study has garnered the lion’s share of public interest to date, with a study of the Oak/Oconee corridor generating only 15 percent of comments received.

Presenting formal comments were Jamey Thaw, CEO of Athens Regional Medical Center; Tim Burgess, senior vice president for finance and administration at the University of Georgia; and Doc Eldridge, executive director of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce.

Thaw and Burgess spoke of the medical and academic engines that help drive the Athens economy, and the need to avoid imposing restrictions on those components. Thaw encouraged the city to keep Prince Avenue four lanes for the sake of patient and ambulance traffic, and not to impose restrictions that could discourage medical growth along the corridor. Burgess spoke of the Health Sciences Campus being developed on the former Normal School/ Navy Supply Corps School property, and the resultant medical growth that could be expected, which he said should be welcomed. The business community was

represented by business and property owners and non-Prince Avenue developers, who were unanimous in their support of keeping Prince Avenue four lanes and who warned that a proposed 10,000-square-foot limitation on medical offices was untenable.

ACC planner Bruce Lonnee made the point that Prince Avenue is a series of nodes, each with its own distinct character that calls for stepped-down development. As an example, he noted the Athens Heart Center office, whose size is appropriate in its present location on Prince Avenue near Loop 10, but would not be appropriate in the downtown end of Prince Avenue. He introduced a new zoning classification, Commercial-Neighborhood Established (CNE), that could be used on selected properties within the corridor to make sure that development is of a scale that is compatible with adjacent neighborhoods. Currently, medical offices are exempt from the professional office size limitation of 10,000 square feet.

Avid Bookshop employee Rachel Watkins read comments from the store’s owner, Janet Geddis, who advocated for improved crosswalk signage and slowing traffic, noting that many of Avid’s customers are pedestrians who find it difficult and often dangerous to cross Prince.

Most residents echoed her concerns and noted that while Prince Avenue is a major corridor, it is also an in-town street surrounded by neighborhoods, and warrants measures to reduce vehicular speed and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists. Residents also expressed concern that the sense of place along the corridor could be permanently altered if massive structures are encouraged to be built.

Monday’s meeting was the last scheduled public input session; comments on both corridor studies are still being accepted at www. athensclarkecounty.com/planning.

Amy Andrews

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Farmers Deserve Better For all the emphasis that our political leaders put on bringing business giants like Kia and Porsche to Georgia, it’s easy to lose sight of this fact: the state’s largest industry is still agriculture. The people who operate our farms, dairies and orchards bring in more dollars for the state’s economy each year than any other business segment. You would think our political leadership would appreciate the contributions of our farmers and do everything they can to help them. That has not been the case.

This year, as the state was still struggling to dig out from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, the Legislature went out of its way to make it more difficult for people in agriculture to stay in business.

They passed a restrictive immigration law that was intended to address the issue of Georgia’s undocumented immigrants.

The new statute turned out to be very effective at keeping immigrants out of the state—and that was the problem.

The migrant workers our farms hire to harvest such crops as blueberries, cucumbers and Vidalia onions stayed away in droves. Even the seasonal workers who had the required permits to be in this country steered clear of Georgia.

One survey last summer indicated a shortage of at least 11,000 farm workers in Georgia. Bryan Tolar, of the Georgia Agribusiness Council, said the unavailability of labor left the state’s farms with 30 percent fewer workers on average.

The results were predictable. Fruits and vegetables often were not harvested, and in many cases farmers plowed their crops under.

The economic losses attributed to the labor shortage were estimated to be somewhere in the range of $300 million to $400 million— at a time when the state desperately needed every job and dollar it could get.

“Georgia is the poster child for what can happen when mandatory E-Verify and enforcement legislation is passed without an

adequate guest-worker program,” said Charles Hall, executive director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association.

“We don’t need to stall the largest economic engine in this state, and we don’t need to scare off our workforce,” said Zippy Duvall, head of the Georgia Farm Bureau. “Skilled farm labor is a necessity, just like land, water and equipment. Without timely access to a stable work force, large segments of agriculture will grind to a halt.”

Gov. Nathan Deal and other supporters of the new immigration law have maintained there was an easy solution to the labor issue: hire parolees and released prison inmates to replace the migrant workers. That did not solve the problem either.

“These jobs are in the hot sun, high temperatures—98 to 100 degrees, eight to 10 hours a day, and require lifting, bending and stooping,” Hall noted. “It is not something that the average citizen can do.”

While many state-level politicians have pretended the labor problem doesn’t exist, two of Georgia’s congressmen are actually facing up to reality.

Reps. Jack Kingston of Savannah and Lynn Westmoreland of Sharpsburg have introduced a bill to streamline and revise the federal H2A guest worker program so that farmers can more easily hire documented labor. Westmoreland admitted that Georgia’s farms have been hit hard by their inability to get enough workers. “It’s just a problem, it’s a real problem,” he said. “When you’ve got something in the field, you’ve got to get it picked. We need to be sure we have workers for what is still the state’s largest industry.”

It’s difficult to say if Westmoreland and Kingston will be able to get a vote on their bill—it could be that there’s a better solution out there. At least they’re willing to admit there’s a problem. That’s a start.

Tom Crawford tcrawford@gareport.com

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athens rising What’s Up in New Development At least twice a week I’ve driven the stretch of road that a Walmart may soon inhabit. Sunday mornings, coming in from Winterville to go to church, this was always the gateway to the city. In design school, I looked at the site several different ways, and later on, some of that work was adapted by the Blue Heron folks to illustrate their concepts. But I didn’t anticipate just how central this one site was—how many questions it would raise about the fundamental nature of this town, where it’s been and where it’s headed. Of course, when we look at that one painting from Carr’s Hill, we see it’s the place where Athens began 200 years ago, give or take a decade, so maybe it’s fitting that it should all come back to this spot.

The anti-Walmart rhetoric here isn’t the same argument heard everywhere else in the country; it’s an endemic strain that is based around a desire to defend the hand-crafted local character for which Athens has become world-renowned over the past few decades. It’s also complicated by a sense of what could be. Had conversations about public economic development initiatives not been so forcibly ripped off the table a few months ago, and instead been allowed to run their course, would that idea of a River District have remained as strong a concept? Did the idea that got away grow in the retelling?

The concerns about traffic likewise tread upon the aspirational. Current plans call for five different greenway routes, including rail and riparian ones, to converge in the vicinity of the Armstrong & Dobbs tract, where the Atlanta firm Selig’s mixed-use development will be situated. Our multimodal transportation center is just across the street, and a potential extension of Hickory Street, allowing efficient and convenient access over to UGA’s Jackson Street bus mall, is supposed to pass through the site, too, though Selig has yet to incorporate it. Those ideas about what could be are bundled up with the very practical present issue of too many cars on too narrow a road. The bridges along Oconee Street are very real chokepoints that have defined this city’s evolution and growth so far, and will determine where we go from here.

Even the notion of historic preservation is differently framed here, with the destruction proposed not just of a derelict landmark, but of one with a regionally, if not nationally known local company still inside! The question of a structure’s value becomes so much different when the argument involves a thriving local business, rather than simply a shell that stands in the way of this particular sort of progress. Here, the conversation has the potential to revolve around taking something that already works and growing it, rather than inventing wholesale new uses, which is often the case with buildings in need of preservation.

Things could have played out a little differently, if the politicians, realtors, developers and others who knew the details of

this project ahead of time had pulled Selig into the public conversation about the area that was already in progress, rather than ending that one so that this one could begin.

Maybe it’s too idealistic, but suppose Selig had said, “We’ve heard about your river district, and we’d like to be a part of it,” loudly and publicly, rather than whispering for months until a permit for demolition thrust their project into the daylight. Although many, myself included, would love to see such a partnership come to pass, the initial perception caused by the approach Selig did take has been hard to overcome. Here, we have the choice to let business proceed as usual, or to create a new way of doing things that overcomes the cycle of reaction.

For a great many around town (including the 10,000 or so residents determined enough to have signed a petition), the status quo is better than what’s been proposed. But it took something as totally intolerable as a Walmart to bring fully into comprehension just how much value the status quo already has, and what could be lost. There’s a door that’s open here, but it’ll take developers and community working together to fully realize something better. This project has the potential to be a catalyst not only for downtown, but for the entire community, if executed correctly. A tax allocation district funded by the project would generate millions of dollars, funding improvements, amenities and infrastructure that could lay groundwork for so many other good things to happen. The community has to trust Selig for that to happen, and Selig has to earn that trust by truly listening to what they’re hearing, and incorporating that feedback into its proposal in a meaningful way.

While claims of new sales tax money are somewhat specious (who is going to drive past one of the other two Walmarts to bring new money into the county?), the property tax revenue that a development of this scale would generate would carry the weight of a new SPLOST, generating a lot of new construction jobs over the coming years while laying the groundwork for the sorts of office development that we were all talking about a few months back. It might allow the broadening of our economy, with a diversity of good jobs to ensure we’re not the poorest urban county in the country again.

This is the spot where Athens started, with layers of soil piled over granite, across which clear flowing springs once traveled. Who knows what we’ll find under that soil soon, when Selig begins the process of constructing its development, whatever shape it takes? Athens has its fair share of problems, some endemic and some the same as everywhere, but I can’t think of a better place to try to start over.

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 21, 2011

Athens first began in this part of town. Could this also be the site of its renaissance?

Kevan Williams athensrising@flagpole.com

art notes

film notebook

Village People

News of Athens’ Cinema Scene

Spaceship = Friendship: Jill Carnes is a wellknown member of the local music scene as part of the Elephant 6 collective and the band Thimble Circus. Carnes is also a visual artist, and her newest paintings and drawings are on view now at Flicker Theatre & Bar. Carnes has been making art for over three decades.

Painted with deep blues, pinks and thick black outline, her current subjects include owls, cats and people. She finds kindred spirits in the work of other masters of expressive color and visionary composition, like Marc Chagall and Vincent van Gogh. Though she describes herself as shy, her paintings definitely are not wallflowers. Full of vibrancy and a quirky humor, they are expressive of a warmth of spirit that makes them instantly appealing.

serving as a showcase for the young artists, the exhibition also highlights the creative and intelligent projects devised by their art teachers. Many of the projects are group efforts, further emphasizing how individuals work together to make something beautiful.

Entering the exhibition, one sees the larger-than-life-sized “People in Our Community” by students at Barnett Shoals Elementary. These are standing, cut-out figures which have been painted by the students to depict police officers, doctors, teachers, artists, et al. Their teacher, Leonard Piha, asked the students to work together and each add their own touch to the finished work. The huge, colorful quilt (“Community Quilt with Houses”) he led his kindergarten through fifth-grade students in sewing is also a testament to working together, and an impressive and touching example of a symbol of home and comfort.

Krista Dean, who teaches art at Chase Street Elementary, has a few particularly innovative projects on display. “Zooming in on Our Community,” for example, (which was directed

by Dean’s student teacher, Jordan Perry) involved a second-grade class in examining Google Maps shots of familiar places to get a bird’s-eye view of their neighborhoods. Then, after looking at the 3-D assemblage sculpture of Louise Nevelson, the students built up layers to create a topographical view of the buildings, trees and other structures that make up their communities.

Steven Milsap’s students at Cedar Shoals High Jill Carnes’ paintings and drawings are on display at Flicker Theatre & Bar School also collaborated through December. to create a quilt-like grid Carnes’ drawings seem almost musical in of self-portraits. Local photographer Phillip their interplay of pattern and color across Fuqua assisted in the digital manipulation the surface of the canvas, and as a musiof the students’ headshots to help them pull cian, this makes a lot of sense. I asked her together their vision, creating a reflection of what she listens to when she paints, and her their community. Milsap says, “The students eclectic list of auditory inspiration includes felt that by drawing themselves they would Nino Rota, Mahalia Jackson, Kate Bush, David represent Athens and its many different peoBowie, Patti Smith, XTC, J.S. Bach, Klezmer, ple, and that the viewer would have a different The Carter Family and Nick Drake. As a citizen understanding of the place where they live.” of Athens for 28 years, Carnes finds much of The exhibition succeeds in presenting the her inspiration right in her own backyard. point of view of a variety of individuals who She counts local artists as part of her list of have worked together to create a kaleidomuses: “I love quite a lot of local artists just scopic representation of a place we all think as much [as Chagall and van Gogh], and I we know so well. On view throughout the consider many of them to be very inspiring Lyndon House galleries through December. with both spirit and talent.”

Her paintings are on view at Flicker Wait a Minute, Mr. Postman: An exhibition of through December.

19th-century prints at the Georgia Museum of Art presents color lithographs by more It Takes a Village: Though they haven’t called than 40 artists, including Henri de ToulouseAthens home for quite as long as Carnes, the Lautrec, Odilon Redon, James McNeill Whistler, students of Athens-Clarke County schools Camille Pissarro and Paul Gauguin. Titled are already essential members of our com“Originality by Subscription,” the prints are munity. Viewing our town through their from the museum’s permanent collection and eyes is the subject of the current exhibition were first published in the French quarterly “Community” at the Lyndon House, where magazine l’Estampe Originale. On view through students from kindergarten through high Dec. 31. Check the museum’s website for visitschool have created paintings, prints, sculping hours at www.georgiamuseum.org. ture and photographs reflecting on the people and places of their hometown. In addition to Caroline Barratt arts@flagpole.com

A Passing Rage in Hollywood: In the wake of African-American cinema seemed wide open Spike Lee’s success in the late 1980s, there and auspiciously unprescribed. was a brief period when African-American directors were given the opportunity to make Changes in the Air: By the time the next Film commercial films with Hollywood budgets Notebook comes out in early 2012, Athens’ that were serious reflections on black life local art house theater will have begun in America. (One could argue that Tyler Perry operating as a nonprofit. The Athens Film is doing that now, but that’s a story best Arts Institute, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organizasaved for another column.) Some of them tion that was formed for this specific purpose, were young upstarts like John Singleton, will officially begin running Ciné on Jan. 1.

Ernest Dickerson and the Hughes brothers, As readers of this column (and those familiar whose first films—Boyz n the Hood (1991), with the contemporary cinema scene in genJuice (1992) and Menace II Society (1993), eral) are well aware, this is a challenging time respectively—all explored the gritty realifor small film exhibitors, with big changes ties of contemporary inner-city youth gang coming hard and fast. Ciné’s transition to culture. Some filmmaking veterans reached nonprofit status is a great development that new levels of exposure, too. The magnificlearly defines it as the community resource cent Charles Burnett, whose legendary and most of us have already seen it as, and it also then almost impossible-to-see independent means that we can begin supporting it in new films—especially Killer of Sheep (1977)—had ways that will help it to serve Athens better. already established him with inthe-know cinephiles as a major underground talent, got to make his masterpiece, To Sleep with Anger (1990), with Danny Glover producing and starring. Carl Franklin, like Burnett a California film school-trained baby boomer, parlayed the surprise critical success of his gripping, violent, low-budget One False Move (1992) into 1994’s Devil in a Blue Dress, a terrific adaptation of the AfricanAmerican writer Walter Mosely’s noir novel set in postwar L.A. that starred Denzel Washington.

And Bill Duke, a veteran screen actor who had been directing series TV since the early ‘80s, got to make A Rage in Harlem, which I saw for the first time in years last week. The film is liberally adapted from a 1957 book

by Chester Himes that was part of the author’s cycle of crime novels set among the cops and hustlers of Manhattan’s black village, another of which, Cotton Comes to Harlem, had been made Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe in My Week With Marilyn, into a 1970 film directed by Ossie opening Dec. 23 at Ciné.

Davis. The cast is pretty amazing: Forest Whitaker, Glover, the great Gregory Hines and a ruthlessly deployed I’m talking about money, of course. If Robin Givens—as a femme fatale entirely you’re not already a member of Ciné, you worth dying for—are all right on the money, should be, and whether you are or not, you delivering performances that acknowledge the can also make tax-deductible contributions knowing humor in Himes’ material while keepto AFAI that will support Ciné as it supports ing the integrity of their characters, with all our local film culture. Go to www.athenscine. their cynicism and pathos, scrupulously intact. com to find out about membership packages And Duke dwells lovingly on the details of the (including $1 parking!), donations and all vibrant, marvelously stylized period setting, as kinds of other good stuff. in a nightclub sequence that features the most m The Other Good Stuff: There’s not much entertaining striptease act I have ever seen. going on film-wise in Athens over the holiMost of these directors pretty quickly days, except, of course, you-know-where. My blended into the Hollywood assembly Week With Marilyn opens this Friday, Dec. line—were they all supposed to keep making 23; I’m pretty much game for watching anyinteresting films that plumbed their cultural niche forever?—and Duke wasn’t an exception. thing Michelle Williams does these days, and that includes impersonating Marilyn Monroe.

After making the very good contemporary cop Carnage, A Dangerous Method, Le Havre and thriller Deep Cover with Laurence Fishburne Like Crazy are all exciting things slated for and Jeff Goldblum, Duke was re-absorbed by early 2012, as is the Classic Film Noir Series. the system, directing The Cemetery Club, a But the biggest news of all is that the perencomedy-drama about a bunch of old white nial Christmas classic Die Hard will be the ladies, and Sister Act 2 before returning to featured late show this coming week. I know!

TV (with a quick break in the mundanity for Once again, check out www.athenscine.com 1997’s interesting Hoodlum). But A Rage in for everything else you need to know.

Harlem (which you can get on DVD or streaming from Netflix) remains a valuable relic of a Dave Marr film@flagpole.com moment when the possibilities for mainstream

DECEMBER 21, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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

• indicates new review k THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN

(PG) The first of Steven Spielberg’s two holiday 2011 entries is already a hit in Europe. Herge’s Belgian globetrotter, Tintin, and Captain Haddock are in search of sunken ship in this MoCap’d CGI adventure. The teaming of Spielberg and Peter Jackson, who is producing (and has signed on to direct a sequel), is nearly as exciting as a script by Stephen Moffat (“Doctor Who”), Edgar Wright and hot newcomer Joe Cornish, whose Attack the Block was one of my favorite surprises of 2011.

ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: CHIPWRECKED (G) Come on, Fox! If you’re going to keep releasing new Chipmunks entries each holiday season, the least you can do is make a Christmas-themed movie featuring the furry trio’s classic holiday tunes.

Instead, Alvin, Simon, Theodore, the Chipettes and Dave (poor, paycheckcashing Jason Lee) start out on a cruise ship and wind up on a deserted island. Judging by the boffo box office of the previous two features plus the young audience’s reaction to the new pic’s trailer, Chipwrecked should provide its studio with some holiday cheer.

ARTHUR CHRISTMAS (PG) I’m a sucker for a good, creative, behind-theholiday-scenes sequence (Hop boasts a good one), and Arthur Christmas opens with a doozy. But this charming holiday surprise—coming from Aardman Studios—keeps charming as it delightfully recounts the Christmas Eve adventure of Santa’s younger son.

After another successful, hi-tech run masterminded like a military operation

by Santa’s older son, Steve (v. Hugh Laurie), Arthur (v. James McAvoy) discovers one little girl was missed. In a last-minute effort to save Christmas for that little girl, Arthur, his Grandsanta (v. Bill Nighy) and elfin wrapping specialist Bryony (v. Ashley Jensen, Ricky Gervais’s “Extras”) fire up the old sleigh, hitch up the eight famous reindeer and attempt to fly to England. Brits just get Christmas, and the animation gurus at Aardman, best known for Wallace and Gromit, have conjured up a lovely, happy holiday film.

THE DARKEST HOUR (PG-13) Aliens invade Moscow, and five Americans (including Rachael Taylor, the ever-inventive Emile Hirsch, Juno’s Olivia Thirlby and Max Minghella) must fight to survive. Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov is becoming Russia’s answer to that Gallic purveyor of international sci-fi action, Luc Besson. The flick is the sophomore effort from Tulane alum Chris Gorak, an art director who apprenticed under an impressive resume of directors (David Fincher, the Coen Brothers and Terry Gilliam). Moscow’s exotic environs strangely intrigue, despite the familiarity of the scenario.

DOLPHIN TALE (PG) I am not a sucker for sentimental animal movies. Were I, then I am sure Dolphin Tale would have fit the bill. A lonely 12-year-old, Sawyer (Nathan Gamble), rescues a dolphin (real tail-less dolphin, Winter, as herself) caught in a crab trap. With the help of a marine vet (Harry Connick Jr.), his daughter (Cozi Zuehlsdorff) and a doctor who specializes in prosthetics (Morgan Freeman),

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Sawyer helps save the dolphin by fashioning a fake appendage. Money woes, a hurricane and the fish’s own dislike of potential new tails confound the boy’s attempts.

EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE (PG-13) A young boy (“Teen Jeopardy” champion Thomas Horn in his acting debut) named Oskar searches for the lock that matches the mysterious key left behind by his father (Tom Hanks), who died in the World Trade Center on September 11. Academy Award winner Eric Roth (Forrest Gump) adapts the Jonathan S. Foer novel for three-time Academy Award nominated director Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot, The Hours and The Reader); that’s what we call a pedigreed film.

FOOTLOOSE (PG-13) Let’s go ahead and dispel any thoughts that the Kevin Bacon starrer is somehow above being remade. What Hustle & Flow filmmaker Craig Brewer has done in remaking the seminal ‘80s flick is impressive. Brewer relocates the dance banning town of Bomont from Oklahoma to Georgia, adding another film to Brewer’s resume of intriguing cinematic stories about the New South. Ren MacCormack (Kenny Wormald, looking like he transferred from Rydell High) migrates south to live with his aunt and uncle (Kim Dickens and scene-stealing Ray McKinnon, an Adel native and Oscar winner). There he runs afoul of Rev. Shaw Moore (Dennis Quaid), who instituted the dancing ban after his son died in a car accident, and woos Moore’s beautiful, troubled daughter, Ariel (Julianne Hough, “Dancing with the Stars”). Brewer’s movie has a nice rhythm and does the South more justice than any other major Hollywood release.

THE HELP (PG-13) Every black servant is a saint, every white employer a demon. College-educated Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan (the extremely likable Emma Stonet) comes home to Jackson to save its minority population through bestselling pop fiction. She collects the stories of long-serving maids Aibileen (Viola Davis), Minny (Octavia Spencer) and more into an illegal (in 1960s Mississippi) tome that scandalizes the gentry.

HUGO (PG) Oh, to be an orphan living in an early-20th-century clock!

Despite its near perfection, this 3D family film—Martin Scorsese’s first— may be the loveliest wide release to struggle to find its audience this year.

Yet it’s no wonder Scorsese, himself a film historian as well as a film lover, decided to adapt Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret, whose central mystery revolves around an early cinematic master. Parisian orphan Hugo (Asa Butterfield), who lives inside the clocktower of the train station, seeks the answer to a mysterious automaton, left unsolved by his late father and clockmaker (Jude Law), with the help of a toymaker named Georges (Ben Kingsley) and his charge, Isabelle (Chloe Grace Moretz). Knowledgeable cinephiles will be enthralled by Selznick’s story, wonderfully adapted

by Oscar-nominated scribe John Logan, which I refuse to spoil, and enchanted by the legendary filmmaker’s gorgeous imagery, which conjures

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 21, 2011

memories of Amelie. Sadly, the family audiences that ensured the existence of a third Alvin and the Chipmunks will not be flocking to this thoughtful, literary two-plus-hour masterpiece, easily one of this cinema great’s best pictures.

IN TIME (PG-13) Gattaca writerdirector Andrew Niccol tweaks the sci-fi genre again with this take on Logan’s Run. In a future world, everyone is genetically engineered to stop aging at 25. To ward off overcrowding, people are also designed to only live to 26. In this ageless new society, a man accused of murder (Justin Timberlake) goes on the lam with a pretty hostage (Amanda Seyfried, Mamma Mia!).

With Olivia Wilde, Alex Pettyfer, Cillian Murphy, Johnny Galecki and Vincent Kartheiser (“Mad Men”).

JACK AND JILL (PG) Adam Sandler must have thought the fake movies from Funny People had real potential to have signed on for this pitiful comedy where he plays both Jack Sadelstein and his twin sister, Jill. They key to the entire one-joke movie is that Sandler makes an ugly woman.

MARGIN CALL (R) A thriller about the financial crisis, Margin Call follows some key players at an investment banking firm during a 24-hour period near the beginning of the financial

him to produce a product of incomparable purity. Visually the two pictures are kin; thematically and emotionally, they could not be any more distinct.

He might have doomed these two sisters (Dunst and Antichrist’s warrior Charlotte Gainsbourg), but hopefully their end marks a brilliant new cinematic beginning for him.

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (PG-13) Owen Wilson stars as the latest Woody stand-in, Gil, a Hollywood hack trying to finish a novel while on a business trip to Paris with his fiancee’s (Rachel McAdams) family. On a magical midnight walk, Gil runs into Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston and Alison Pill), gets writing advice from Papa Hemingway (Corey Stoll) and Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates) and falls for Picasso’s girlfriend, Adriana (Marion Cotillard).

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—GHOST PROTOCOL (PG-13) When the IMF is implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his team must clear their name while on the run. Brad Bird, director of animated standouts The Incredibles and The Iron Giant, transitions to live action with the fourth entry in Cruise’s surprisingly still viable franchise. Several of the action sequences were shot-for-

This is a newspaper. They use them for packing material. meltdown. Whoever J.C. Chandor is, the Golden Berlin Bear-nominated, first-time feature filmmaker corralled a hell of a cast. Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore and Stanley Tucci all appear. But can Chandor, who also wrote the film, make the most of this massive collection of talent?

MELANCHOLIA (R) Apparently, Europe has forgiven renowned filmmaker/provocateur Lars von Trier for his failed Nazi joke (one hopes), as his masterful new film took top prize at the European Film Awards. It’s the end of the world as the Dane knows it, and Justine (Cannes Best Actress Kirsten Dunst in her bravest performance to date), a sometimes blushing, mostly depressed bride, is getting married while a mysterious new planet threatens to collide with Earth. Starting with the stunning, nearly 10-minute opening montage, von Trier has composed an extravagant, mature meditation on the apocalypse, both personal and planetary, and it is beautiful to behold.

The Danish firebrand loves putting his female leads, both actress and character, through the paces, and Melancholia is no different. Fortunately, Antichrist acted like a colonic, cleansing von Trier of his worst tendencies and allowing

IMAX, so this flick might be the one to see on the BIG big screen. With Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Michael Nyqvist, Josh “Sawyer” Holloway and Tom Wilkinson.

THE MUPPETS (PG) You can tell cowriter-star Jason Segel loves the Muppets. His reboot of Jim Henson’s lovable puppets is built with obvious love and understanding of what made their 1979 film debut so special. Gary (Segel), his puppet brother, Walter, and Gary’s longtime girlfriend, Mary (Amy Adams) travel to Los Angeles, where they discover a plot to destroy the Muppet Theater by oil tycoon Tex Richman (Oscar winner Chris Cooper).

Together, they help Kermit reunite the old gang—Fozzie, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, et al.—to put on a telethon in order to raise the money needed to buy back the property. Self-referential with a joke ratio that favors adults two-to-one (a Muppet staple), some terrific songs by one half of Flight of the Conchords and a bevy of celebrity cameos, this film revives the Muppets as you remember them.

MY WEEK WITH MARILYN (R) Michelle Williams stars as the legendary blonde bombshell in this dramatization of Marilyn and Sir Laurence Olivier’s tense relationship while filming The Prince and the Showgirl.

The film is based on the accounts of Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne), who was employed by Olivier at the time. The rest of the cast sounds fun; Julia Ormond plays Vivien Leigh and Kenneth Branagh is Olivier. However, director Simon Curtis has done most of his work on the small screen.

NEW YEAR’S EVE (PG-13) Almost every actor you could possibly recognize appears in the second, two-hour holiday party thrown by director Garry Marshall. (Scratch that. No Julia.) At least Valentine’s Day had a semblance to what normal people might expect on Feb. 14. The folks preparing to ring in 2012 (dating it could sorely limit this flick’s already weak repeat watchability) aren’t doing a single thing you or I do, unless you cater swank New York parties while arguing with your music superstar boyfriend (naturally played

by Jon Bon Jovi). This movie feels crafted by the celebrity-worshipping cult of E! PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 (R) I cannot think of another horror franchise as chronologically interesting. Oren Peli’s scary 2007 blockbuster occurred last, ending without the typical survivor. Then, rather than have demonic Katie terrorize some unsuspecting family, the series’ creative minds chose to go backwards. Consider PA3 the origin story, revealing the footage, shot in 1988 by their mother’s boyfriend, Dennis, that explains why sisters Katie and Kristy continue to be haunted.

Catfish filmmakers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, working from a script

by Paranormal Activity 2’s Christopher Landon, up the action ante. Just plain more happens in PA3, without changing the series’ less-is-more-scary attitude. If the first and second movies scared you, the third will, too.

• SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS (PG-13) Much like its 2009 predecessor, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a perfectly forgettable crowdpleaser. Robert Downey, Jr. revisits his hyper-bordering-on-manic, streetfighting master sleuth, this time tasked with defeating his literary archnemesis, Professor James Moriarty (the appropriate Jared Harris of AMC’s “Mad Men”). Assisted as always by Dr. John Watson (Jude Law, again a game companion to Downey), Holmes is also joined by his brother, Mycroft (Stephen Fry), Watson’s new wife (Kelly Reilly) and a gypsy fortune teller (Noomi Rapace, best known as the original Lisbeth Salander). Director Guy Ritchie coats everything in his usual super-stylish action sheen, lending the movie a surfeit of style, minus that pesky substance that might give the flick the little literary weight that could make this a classic reimagining of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous creation. No ticket buyers should leave disappointed, unless they expect an entertainment satiation more enduring than the original.

THE SITTER (R) This surprisingly semi-sweet comic confection from director David Gordon Green in his cinematic equivalent to a rubber match (he won big with Pineapple Express; he got blown out by the disappointing Your Highness; The Sitter is the deciding third comedy) needs a better trailer. Jonah Hill’s Noah Griffith is a lot nicer of a dude than he or the trailer let on, and that likability saves the movie from descending into the Danny

McBride-ian depths of comic selfloathing and asshole-ishness. Tasked with babysitting three miserable kids— anxiety-ridden Slater (Max Records of Where the Wild Things Are), makeupdrenched, celeb-worshipper Blithe (Landry Bender) and Salvadoran foster kid Rodrigo (Kevin Hernandez)—this irresponsible slacker goes on a big city adventure just to get laid. Hill, the kids and the rock-solid Sam Rockwell, keep the concept and gags, most of which expired in 1990, fresh for the flick’s 80 brief minutes, while the quirky references (Gymkata, Alyssa Milano’s workout video, etc.) and sweet electronic score evoke the ‘80s action vibe of the movies Green, Hill, me and the rest of The Sitter’s target audience grew up on. Still, Green needs to make another critical darling before he blows through his entire stash of goodwill.

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN–PART 1 (PG-13) Stephenie Meyer’s extremely popular teen-vampromance took a surreal turn in the fourth book. Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) finally marry. On the honeymoon, Bella becomes pregnant with a thing that should not be. Now the Cullens are caught between the Quileute wolves and the ancient Volturi, both of whom are threatened by this unknown new adversary.

WE BOUGHT A ZOO (PG) This movie just generates some odd feelings. A movie directed by Cameron Crowe and starring Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson and Thomas Haden Church sounds like a serious winner, but then there’s the title. A dad (Damon) moves his family to Southern California to renovate a struggling zoo.

The Devil Wears Prada scripter Aline Brosh McKenna and Crowe relocate Benjamin Mee’s memoir from England to SoCal. Some say a similar move didn’t affect High Fidelity; I’m not one of those folks.

• YOUNG ADULT (R) I know it’s a bit de rigueur to dislike Diablo Cody (Juno), but her latest collaboration with Jason Reitman, one of the best new comic directors of the past decade, should win back some of the AcademyAward-winning scribe’s fickle fans. As the ghost writer of a popular Sweet Valley High ripoff, high school hottie Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron) escaped her tiny hometown of big-box stores and chain restaurants to live a chic life in the “Mini-apple,” i.e., watching loads of E! and guzzling Diet Coke straight from the two-liter after a hard night’s drinking. Now she returns to her old kingdom to get her former beau, Buddy Slade (Patrick Wilson), back, despite his happy marriage and newborn daughter. Fortunately, she runs into Matt Freehauf (Patton Oswalt), a former classmate crippled by a vicious beating, who applies his wicked humor and insight to Mavis’ desperate plan.

Young Adult may not be as perfectly balanced a comic drama as Reitman’s last two Oscar nominees, but it is as well-cast. Theron and Oswalt own the film and deserve the nominations they will not receive; if Hollywood were a perfect place, this role would finally catapult Oswalt onto the A-list.

YOUNG GOETHE IN LOVE (NR) 2010. When Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Alexander Fehling) falters in the legal path chosen for him by his father, the aspiring poet is relegated to a small German town where he falls for Lotte (Miriam Stein), who, as always, is promised to another man. Winner of the German Film Awards Prize in Gold for Best Makeup, Young Goethe was also up for their Most Outstanding Film prize; the film was also nominated for the Palm Springs International Film Festival’s Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature.

Drew Wheeler

movie pick With You in Poetry YOUNG GOETHE IN LOVE (NR) For anyone who loved Shakespeare in Love and who has been awaiting eagerly a movie as charming, romantic and energetic, director Philipp Stölzl’s lavish period-piece Young Goethe in Love should do the trick. Loosely based on the life of poet, writer and dramatist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the movie focuses on Goethe’s (Alexander Fehling) early years, when he’s forced to take a job at a Wetzlar court after his aspiring literary career fizzles. At the court, Goethe befriends a fellow clerk, Wilhem Jerusalem (Volker Bruch), and falls in love with the radiant Lotte Buff (Miriam Stein) who lives with her family outside of the city. Lotte falls for the failed poet, too, but their burgeoning romance is sideswiped when Lotte’s father, Vater Buff (Burghart Klaußner), agrees to have his daughter marry the ambitious court counselor Albert Kestner (Moritz Bleibtreu), Goethe’s mentor.

Young Goethe in Love plays fast and furious with the facts of Goethe’s life, but no matter. This is frothy entertainment crafted with verve and affection toward its characters.

Even Bleibtreu’s bumbling suitor Kestner is imbued with complexity and a modicum of sympathy, although he is ostensibly the “bad guy” of the picture. It’s hard to go wrong

when your leads are so engaging and warm as they are here. Fehling strikes just the right mixture of wiliness, naïveté and youthful robustness, but he’s also able to convey the torment inside him convincingly. This is, of course, the man who would go on to produce the über-Romantic breakthrough The Sorrows of Young Werther (chronicled in the movie) and later Faust; so any failure on Fehling’s part to portray the darkness within would be ruinous. Relative-newcomer Stein is likewise a revelation: entrancing in her subtle, earthy manner, yet generating enough erotic sparks for us to see how she could influence Goethe’s first great literary work.

Romantic, light entertainment routinely gets a bad rap. There’s a lot of rom-com dross out there, which makes it increasingly difficult to mount an argument in its favor when something good does come along.

This is not a perfect movie by any means— it weirdly lacks wit, and the whole thing is aggressively by-the-numbers. But there’s genuine, fleet-footed charm here. Young Goethe in Love may be the perfect cinematic alternative to some of the bleak and weighty end-of-theyear releases out now.

Derek Hill

F !!!

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DECEMBER 21, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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HOLIDAY GUIDE Flagpole's Businesses Extend Season's Greetings and Welcome * Art -Retail and Galleries *

* Health and Beauty *

The Gallery Shop at Lyndon House Arts Center City Salon and Spa 293 Hoyt St., 706-613-3623 Browse a vast array of seasonal and gift-oriented arts and crafts created by local artists, including original wreaths, cards and ornaments. In addition, “Deck the Walls” expands into the Ronnie Lukasiewicz Gallery with pottery, paintings and handmade brooms. Hats, scarves, jewelry and aprons are among the season’s offerings. Tuesdays–Saturdays, 12–5 p.m., through Jan. 7, 2012. Closed Dec. 23, 24 & 31.

100 Athens Town Blvd., 706-552-1515 Head to toe, City Salon and Spa has you covered this Holiday Season. Family driving you crazy? Come visit the spa.

Need a fresh new look for parties? Come get your hair styled.

Check out our boutique, dresses, bags and jewelry, we have just the thing to get you looking Merry and Bright. Put off shopping until the last minute? No problem—

Rocket Salon

163 N. Jackson St., 706-353-0500 ‘Tis the season to celebrate with family and friends. Pamper and indulge yourself with a cut and color to spiff up before your parties begin. Rocket offers a variety of hair services in a fun, laid-back atmosphere. Our fanatical fan-base consists of hipsters, rockers, professionals, students and ladies who lunch.

Everyone is welcome. Gift certificates available this holiday season.

Good Dirt Clay Studio and Gallery

510 N. Thomas St., 706-355-3161 Good Dirt is a spacious, well-equipped facility for people of all ages and abilities to explore clay and other media. Our schedule of winter classes (starting early January) in pottery, sculpture and glass is at www.gooddirt.net. Gift certificates for classes and workshops available. The Gallery @ Good Dirt will feature local potters through Dec. 23. Kids’ out of school workshops will be held Jan. 2 & 3 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Gallery open by appointment only, Dec. 24–Jan. 1.

810 N. Chase St., 706-613-3947 Our Gift Certificates, your best bet…

Why?… They never expire! They spend like cash. They can be applied towards products or services. We have something for EVERYBODY. Delightful gifts & spa products for men, women, dogs & babies. Printed on recycled paper & wrapped with eucalyptus. Massage, Pedicures, Facials & Waxing. Open 7 days a week! www.urbansanctuaryspa.com

Office Lounge

2455 Jefferson Rd., 706-546-0840 Merry Christmas from the Office Lounge!

We have Karaoke every Wednesday, Blues Night every Thursday, Live Music every Friday and Saturday, Keno, pool tables and FREE popcorn. Home of the STRONGEST drinks.

Happy hour 4–7 with $2 house shots! Just a good ole neighborhood BAR! We are open on Christmas Eve—we’ll just be closing early.

On New Year’s Eve, we have “The Shadow Executives,” plus free party favors and champagne at midnight. Happy Holidays!

* Hotels * Foundry Park Inn & Spa

295 E. Dougherty St., 706-549-7020 Have someone who’s been really good this year? The Foundry Park Inn & Spa’s got you covered for one of a kind experiences, ranging from spa gift cards to private dinners with awardwinning chef Martin Smetana, romantic in-town getaways and more! Join us at the Melting Point for holiday entertainment with the Highballs and Rack of Spam before booking your dinner & room package for our New Year’s Eve party with Mother’s Finest!

The Pub at Gameday

251 W. Clayton St., 706-353-2831 Happy Holidays from The Pub at Gameday and our sister bars, Bluesky, Walker’s, Treppen­haus, Boar’s Head, Bar South and Allgood. Give your friends and family the best gift of all… bring them in for a drink! Let us deck your liver with loads of cocktails this holiday season.

Happy Holidays and may all your hang­ overs be mild. Ring in the New Year with us!

The Sensational Sound of Motown New Year’s Eve Show 835 Sunset Dr., 706-543-5940 This New Year’s Eve join us for dinner, drinks, and dancing with The Sensational Sounds of Motown at the Athens VFW. Southern-style buffet, cash bar and a champagne toast at midnight. Saturday, Dec. 31, doors at 6:30 p.m. For information and reservations, call Sherry at 706-546-0543.

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 21, 2011

1037 Baxter St., 706-548-1115 We take an individual approach to hair styling. Every service is tailored to suit your unique look and hair care needs. Our stylists specialize in creating designs that compliment facial structure, hair texture, personal taste and style upkeep. Client satisfaction is our number-one priority.

This season we are accepting donations for Locks of Love. Purchase stocking ornaments for a minimum donation of $5 and receive $10 off your next visit or a free service. www.shenaniganssalon.com

Urban Sanctuary Spa

* Bars and Clubs *

* Concerts and Events *

Shenanigans Salon

* Recreation *

gift certificates make the perfect gift for everyone on your list. www.citysalonandspa. com

Republic Salon

312 E. Broad St. (3rd floor), 706-208-5222 The perfect present. A gift certificate to the hottest, most luxurious and unique salon in town. Award-winning Republic Salon provides top-quality hair styling, the only color bar around and pampered service, all within a luxurious New York loft environment. A most unforgettable gift of a most indulgent experience. Check us out. We occupy the entire third floor above Magnolias (entrance on Jackson Street). Visit us at www. republicsalon.com.

Ciné

234 W. Hancock Ave., 706-353-3343 CINÉ—downtown’s only arthouse cinema, screens the latest independent and international films, documentaries, festival discoveries and classic movies. More than a movie theater, Ciné is a modern arts center, featuring an exhibit gallery by local visual artists and the versatile CinéLab space—great for events, parties and live performances. Ciné offers a variety of cocktails and treats, gift certificates and annual memberships, plus a Dinner + Movie combo package with neighboring restaurant, The National. More info and showtimes at www.athenscine.com.

Ten Pins Tavern

2451 Jefferson Rd., 706-546-8090 Here at Ten Pins Tavern we take a unique look at having a good time. We think you should be able to come in, relax, bring friends or family, and have a great meal or a snack— maybe even a cold brew or two. Entertain yourselves with pinball machines, video games and, of course, bowling. All while in the family-friendly confines of the best little bowling lounge in the South! Book now for New Year’s Eve! www.tenpinstavern. com

* Restaurants * Buffalo’s Cafe

196 Alps Rd., 706-354-6655 Holiday Greetings from Rick, Sharon and the Staff of Buffalo’s Cafe! Buffalo’s Cafe is the perfect place for your family to celebrate the Holidays or to pick up a Party Platter for when you “go over the river and through the woods to Grandma’s house.”

Bring your staff to Buffalo’s Cafe for your holiday party or luncheon, or we can cater to you. P.S. Gift Cards make a great stocking stuffer!

Transmetropolitan

145 E. Clayton St., 706-613-8773 1550 Oglethorpe Ave., 706-549-5112 Visit both of our locations throughout the holidays for daily lasagna specials, pizzas, pastas, panini and salads. We have daily bar specials, too. Transmetropolitan gift certificates make the perfect gift! Call us to reserve our upstairs room for your Holiday Party. Happy Holidays!

VIVA! Argentine Cuisine

2270 Barnett Shoals Rd., 706-850-8284 VIVA! Argentine Cuisine is an Athens original, locally owned and operated. Serving fresh Argentine-inspired home cooking.

We are ready to cater your next empanada party or cupcake celebration! Special holiday cupcake flavors are now being dreamt up. Our scratch-made soups will warm you up on the coldest day. Gift certificates and t-shirts now available. Why shop when you can give the gift of VIVA?!

everyone on your list! C-ash $$$ from selling your clothes.

I-mpulse purchasing (one for Mom, one for me). L-ayaway and Gift Certificates. L-uxury at affordable prices. I-nsanely HOT holiday dresses. E-nvironmental LOVE. S-anta shops here!!

Half-Moon Outfitters

1225 S. Milledge Ave., 706-548-7225 Half-Moon Outfitters offers great customer service for getting you ready for your next adventure. Half-Moon features quality gear for adventure and travel by Patagonia, The North Face, Arc’Teryx, Mountain Hardwear, Petzl and more. Open daily for your shopping convenience. Gift certificates available.

Masada Leather and Outdoor

238 E. Clayton St., 706-546-5014 In February 1975, a small leather shop was founded in downtown Athens with the idea of creating quality, handcrafted leather work at a reasonable price. Now, over three decades later, MASADA has built a reputation as the state’s leader in fine leather accessories, comfort and hiking footwear, and outdoor apparel. We sincerely hope that you’ll visit our unique shop while you’re here and enjoy the rustic charm and Old-World atmosphere of an Athens landmark.

Musician’s Warehouse Showcase

Farm 255

255 W. Washington St., 706-549-4660 Join Farm 255 in a local, seasonal and sustainable holiday. Christmas Eve & NYE prix-fixe supper by Chef Whitney Otawka (also available à la carte), with wine pairings and seasonal cocktails.

Come dine and dance with the Quiet Hooves for our New Year’s Eve party with free bubbly! Farm Cart late-night food at the 40 Watt on NYE. Menus and reservations via website at farm255.com.

150 Crane Dr., 706-548-7233 Wondering how to satisfy that musician in your life? Looking for the perfect gift to make your estranged son/daughter talk to you again? Want to keep your neighbors up at night? Musician’s Warehouse has what you’re looking for! With the largest selection and best prices around we can satisfy all your musical needs for any size budget.

Gift Certificates available. Behind the Racetrac next to Best Buy. Open every day until Christmas.

Heirloom Cafe & Fresh Market

R. Wood Studio Ceramics

815 N. Chase St., 706-354-7901 Let us help you with your holidays! We will have sides available to feed your friends and family, as well as some great stocking stuffers (think jam, infused olive oil, Pure Bliss nuts) and host gifts (cheeses, aprons, oven mitts), all sourced from your local community. Check out our website for more information: www.heirloomathens.com

450 Georgia Dr., 706-613-8525 Shop local and give handmade pottery this year. R. Wood studio has been handcrafting pottery for 20 years. We are located in a rustic warehouse, just east of downtown. We have dinnerware in 20 gorgeous colors to make any meal more memorable. Shop our famous “seconds” room, or find the perfect gift in our one-of-a-kind section, filled with hundreds of handmade pieces. www.rwoodstudio.com

Ike & Jane

1307 Prince Ave., 706-850-1580 Donuts and breakfast, biscuits and barbecue…

OH, MY! We make all of our donuts in-house every day! It’s all delicious, so come and give us a try.

It’s the holiday season, and we’re filled with good cheer so come see us for some hot cocoa and lunch to warm you up. We’ll make your holiday goodies, so you’re ready to go and pretend they’re your own ;). Monday–Friday, 6:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday & Sunday, 8 a.m.–2 p.m.

Sexy Suz

Locos Grill and Pub

2020 Timothy Rd., 706-549-7700 1985 Barnett Shoals Rd., 706-208-0911 581 S. Harris St., 706-548-7803 Make the holidays less hectic this year! Stop by Locos Grill and Pub and pick up a gift card, get a quick and easy to-go-go carryout meal or even arrange holiday party catering! Heck, just sit back with friends and take in a game on one of the many TVs and put the holiday stress on hold! Three convenient Athens locations. Dine-in/takeout/delivery/catering. www. locosgrill.com

Taste of India

131 E. Broad St., 706-559-0000 Athens’ only Indian fine-dining cuisine, located across from the Arch. Head chef Ashok Kumar, with over 20 years of experience, offers a daily lunch buffet and an à la carte menu. We offer a richly varied menu of fresh, natural ingredients, wholesome sauces and flavorful spices. All of our food is natural and freshly prepared daily on premises with no additives or preservatives. We will be open Christmas Eve and Day and New Year’s Eve and Day (reservations suggested). Happy Holidays!!

* Retail * Aurum Studios

125 E. Clayton St., 706-546-8826 Celebrating its 36th Anniversary, Aurum has a fabulous selection of platinum, gold and silver jewelry, diamonds, pearls, stunning color and cool beads. Original designs, custom work and repairs are available from six in-house goldsmiths. The Aurum gallery of American crafts features pottery, glass, wood and paintings by talented regional artists—even Christmas ornaments! Let Aurum’s friendly staff help you find all the gifts you need. Layaway, all charge cards and free giftwrapping.

Cillies Clothing

175 E. Clayton St., 706-369-7418 Come on in to CILLIES clothing for that PERFECT gift, from a hilarious tacky Christmas sweater for that holiday party or get that gorgeous vintage Chanel or Louis Vuitton bag you’ve been wanting! CILLIES has layaway and gift certificates for

4124 Atlanta Hwy., 678-661-0700 50 Gaines School Rd., 706-850-6919 Why not get something naughty for the folks on your nice list? Sexy Suz has everything you need to stuff a sexy stocking! The hottest DVDS to warm you up this winter, adult toys for good lovers, Christmas party gag gifts, Sexy Santa lingerie and so much more. Jingle all the way to either our Eastside or Westside store and the girls will make sure you’re ready for a sexy holiday season!

Video Link

2026 S. Milledge Ave., 706-543-2288 Video Link is currently having a “Going Out of Business” sale! Laserdiscs for $2, record albums for $4 and ALL DVDs (Blu-ray, boxed sets, Criterion, TV shows and new and old releases) are ALL priced at $10 or 3 for $20. We have MANY rare and out-of-print titles! If you’re buying DVDs for Christmas, SHOP US FIRST! All items are guaranteed, and sale runs through December 31. Merry Christmas to Athens!

World of Futons

2041 W. Broad St., 706-353-1218 In 1984, starting with one bale of cotton, I made my first futon mattress, shortly after I got a friend to design a simple wooden futon frame. Soon I was ordering 20 bales of cotton at a time. Now 27 years later, we are still open, offering a wide selection of locally made futon furniture. I would like to thank you for your continued patronage and wish you all a happy new year.—David Frederick k continued on next page

DECEMBER 21, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

11

HOLIDAY GUIDE

continued from p. 11

* Services * Athens Downtown Development Authority

220 College Ave., Ste. 400, 706-353-1421 Downtown Athens encourages you to SHOP LOCAL. Join us under the twinkling lights for unique shopping, delicious dining and holiday nights out on the town! We are offering FREE PARKING in the new 125 W. Washington St. Deck ONLY, through Sunday, Jan. 1.

Pick up a special Parking Pass available at Downtown businesses (retailers, restaurants, salons), show it and your purchase receipt to the Deck Attendant for FREE parking! Don’t forget about Downtown Athens Gift Certificates—accepted at over 60 of your favorite downtown businesses!

Visit DowntownAthensGa.com for business listing and more!

Project Safe, Inc.

www.project-safe.org, 706-549-0922 The holidays are all about giving, and at a time when every penny counts, it’s important to remember that even small donations make a big difference. At Project Safe’s emergency shelter, items like toilet paper, cleaning supplies, trash bags and women’s pajamas are always needed. Donations can be brought to the Project Safe Thrift Store, located at the corner of Hawthorne and Prince avenues in the Bell’s Shopping center, Monday through Saturday 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Reproductive Biology Associates

1100 Johnson Ferry Rd., Ste. 200, 404-257-1900 Have you always wanted to make a difference in someone’s life? Reproductive Biology Associates Egg Donor program is helping women do just that. Some women cannot use their own eggs to conceive a child. Donating eggs to a couple in need can make an immeasurable difference. If you would like to donate the “gift of life,” contact Reproductive Biology Associates at 404-843-0579 or online at www.rba-online.com.

Donors are compensated $6,000–$8,000 for their time.

UGA Alcohol Treatment Study

www.psychology.uga.edu/ecpl/projects/ dcsstudy.html, 706-542-8350 Do you want to change your drinking habits? We are conducting a study on a medication for treating alcohol problems. Participation will include five in-person assessments, including four sessions of individual outpatient treatment. There is no cost for the treatment. You will be asked to take a medication or placebo on two occasions.

Back to the Garden

UGA College of Veterinary Medicine

www.backtothegarden.us, 706-353SOIL Get “Back to the Garden” this Holiday Season! Give a gift that keeps on giving. Got a garden? Want a garden? We produce the World’s Finest Compost, Garden Soil and Mulches. We also offer Landscape and Arboricultural Consulting. Design and Build Gardens and Landscapes. We are experts in Tree Care and Removal. We take a holistic approach to the environment. Our clients are always happy and so are their yards. Be Safe, and Happy Holidays!

501 D.W. Brooks Dr., 706-542-1984 Happy Holidays from the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine’s Community Practice Clinic. Our Clinic is open to the general public, and uses today’s technology by tomorrow’s veterinarians to provide the best general healthcare for your pet. Visit us for annual checkups, vaccinations, spay/neuter services, behavior issues and dermatology needs.

We now offer expanded dental services, too. Call 706-542-1984 for an appointment or visit www.vet.uga.edu and search “Community Practice Clinic.”

Cook Coaching & Consulting LLC

UGA FMRI & Smoking Study

www.psychology.uga.edu/ecpl/projects/ index.html, 706-542-6881 Do you smoke cigarettes? We are conducting a research study on smoking.

Participation will include two in-person assessments, including one magnetic resonance imaging scan. You will be paid $65 for ~5 hours of participation.

Call 706-542-6881 for more information.

www.AthensGACareerCoach.com, 706-363-0539 Looking for a new (or better) job?

Get your act together with help from Certified Career Coach and Resume Writer Sean Cook. Conveniently located downtown, Cook Coaching & Consulting LLC offers career coaching, resume/CV writing, custom LinkedIn profiles and a variety of career assessments, through SkillsOne. If cost is a concern, consider the weekly coaching group or our 7 Points to a Winning Resume e-book. And check out Athens’ newest job search resource, www.AthensGACareerCoach.com!

WUGA

www.wuga.org, 706-542-9842 WISHING YOU THE HAPPIEST OF HOLIDAYS AND A GREAT YEAR IN 2012.

WUGA, the Classic 91.7 & 97.9 FM. Your oasis for ideas and the arts. To make a donation, visit www.wuga.org.

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mixtape wars Holiday Cheer: Tobias vs. Lewis If you dare step foot inside a shopping mall or big-box store this holiday season, remember to wear protection.

Noise-canceling headphones are a good start—a hoodie or earmuffs can also work in a pinch. Beware the beguiling hips of dancing Santas and their mechanical ilk—avert your eyes immediately lest you are drawn to push the shiny red “play” button of temptation. It’s not that Christmas music is categorically awful; it’s just that the sheer repetition of the standards is relentlessly taxing. Each December, hundreds of unwitting victims are carted off in strait-jackets as a result of Muzak Madness, jingling all the way to the asylum. But there’s help.

The best way to stay sane this season is to look to the fringes for fresh, diverse holiday jams, and nobody knows the fringes of music like Flagpole writer, multi-instrumentalist and all around jolly guy Jeff Tobias. For this Mixtape War we paired him with Mat Lewis, who, besides looking great in a festive sweater, also sings and plays a reverb-heavy organ in local duo Grape Soda. He has also served as the little drummer boy for punk rockers The Agenda and cute slingers The Buddy System.

And with that, here are some gifts that keep on giving…

Mat Lewis’ Holiday Mixtape

2. “Home for the Holidays” by The dB’s ML: Sometimes I just want to hear a standard Christmas tune. Sleigh bells?

Check. Mandolin? Check. Saccharine lyrics about family and general cheer distribution? Double check.

JT: I agree. Here, The dB’s embody the conservative spirit that Christmas is really all about.

7. “Wonderful Christmastime” by Paul McCartney ML: Best Christmas song of all time. Hands down. The layers of synth weirdness may seem wholly inappropriate for a holiday jam, but, dude, it’s got sleigh bells. As for the subject matter, I interpret it as a critique of Christmas music’s banality by embracing said banality. Heady stuff.

JT: Yes, very heady. This is the sort of Macca material that makes you wonder if he wasn’t the dead weight in Wings. As always, he means well.

8. “Thank God It’s Not Christmas” by Sparks ML: The Mael Brothers take a much more straightforward approach to hating on the holidays. But they contradict themselves: How can a song about how boring Christmas is sound so epic?

JT: Yeah! As you say, the lyrics are a bit grim, but the riff is total Santa’s-sleigh-over-the-horizon huge.

9. “Daddy’s Drinking Up All Our Christmas” by Marshall Crenshaw ML: There are a lot of Christmas songs about drinking that dad-rock stalwart Marshall Crenshaw could have chosen to cover. He picked this Commander Cody tune, and now I’m picking his cover. Pay it forward this holiday season.

Mike White · deadlydesigns.com

1. “Santa Claus Goes Straight to the Ghetto” by The Dogg Pound Why Mat Lewis picked this track: Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg and friends give the “Christmas in the ghetto” premise the G. Funk treatment, in the process making one of the funkiest holiday jams I can call to memory.

Jeff Tobias’ reaction: Rhyming “gifts” with “spliffs” about says it all. The video features Snoop sporting some kind of weird ZZ Top beard.

JT: This is catchy as shit, and the weird strangled guitar stuff on the second verse sounds like someone being electrocuted by Christmas lights.

3. “Santa Dog for Gamelan Orchestra”

by The Residents ML: Sometimes the last thing I want to hear is a standard Christmas tune. This sparse, sprawling gamelan arrangement is an excellent palate-cleanser to the normal fare you hear in stores and on the radio.

JT: This rules. I’m totally seeing indoor snowflakes falling from the ceiling at Ralph Records HQ while dudes with eyeball heads wearing Santa hats build a snowman.

4. “The First Noel” by Masters of the Hemisphere ML: This is probably my favorite traditional Christmas carol, and one I’d never heard before these hometown heroes did a rendition of it.

JT: Much more festive than Je Suis France’s cover of “No Christmas for John Quays,” this conjures images of friends huddled around the four-track for the holiday. Thumbs up.

5. “Christmas Trees Everywhere” by Jonny Cohen ML: What longtime indie-pop songwriter Jonny Cohen lacks in classical training he makes up for with spirit. Holiday spirit, in this case. Lines about the White House Christmas tree, sung in his trademark caterwaul, make me nostalgic for winter in metropolitan D.C. JT: Jonny Cohen, eh? I’ve never heard of this guy, but I’m getting a sort of “A Very Jad Fair Christmas” vibe.

6. “Holiday Road” by Lindsey Buckingham ML: I think this song is about trying to get out of the Mall of Georgia parking lot in December.

2. “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” by Annie Lennox & Al Green JT: This is the jam that everyone sings at the end of Scrooged after Bill Murray, as Frank Xavier Cross, makes that big, hysterical speech and ghostly taxi driver Buster Poindexter gives him a thumbs up. “My brother, the King of Christmas!”

ML: OK, so those same people from the last track, the ones by the fire, under the snowy rooftop? They’ve just spent eight years under the crushing weight of the Reagan administration, and they’re searching for that glimpse of old-fashioned cheer in a callous, indifferent world. It’s somewhere in there if you listen hard enough.

3. “Silent Night” by The Dream Scene JT: This is one of the more tender moments on Javier Morales’ album of lo-fi holiday classics. The solid minute of synth drone at the end is, I guess, meant to be a moment of silence.

ML: This is how you cover a Christmas song! This version sounds vastly different from how I normally hear this song, but sticks to the original’s solemn tone. Sure, it tempers that solemnity with exuberant noise and cascading waves of synth, but how silent do they really want it?

4. “Child’s Christmas in Wales” by John Cale JT: There’s something about the chorale-style organ part that really paints a picture. This is before John Cale went all hockey-mask drugs-crazy, and is rather wholesome.

ML: Great song, all year ‘round. A “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” for post-war Europe?

5. “Christmas Commercial” by BBC Radiophonic Workshop JT: There’s something about the ringing of cash registers that provokes a Pavlovian response in me; I immediately sense I’m about to be pepper sprayed. You were crazy for this one, BBC Radiophonic Workshop.

ML: A generation or two into the future no one will remember what ringing cash registers sounded like, but for now it’s clever.

6. “Christmas in Hollis” by Run-DMC JT: I have a very fond memory of Supercluster covering this at a WUOG Christmas party at Ciné. I feel like I remember a lot of people were throwing candy around.

ML: Was this the first hip-hop Christ­ mas tune? The instrumental Christ­mas medley in the middle is like that outtaleft-field surprise gift. I didn’t know I wanted a garlic press, but now that it’s right in front of me, it looks pretty good!

JT: This is indeed a rich genre, the “Christmas is canceled” Christmas song. Makes you feel about as warm as a howdy or five.

10. “Reggae Christmas” by Bryan Adams ML: When I think of Bryan Adams, the first two words that come to mind are “reggae” and “Christmas.”

JT: Ah, Bryan Adams. Face on that guy like a block of firewood. They have reggae in Canada? Who knew? The most implausible cultural crossover since Cool Runnings.

Jeff Tobias’ Holiday Mixtape 1. “Peace on Earth” by John Coltrane JT: While not strictly Christmas music, I think “Peace on Earth” is a universal tenet of the holiday spirit no matter what holiday you celebrate. If everyone on the planet stopped what they were doing to blast this posthumously orchestrated Coltrane hymn, we could get there for real—I believe it!

ML: This is totally setting the holiday mood. Everyone bundled up by the fire, snow on every rooftop and Coltrane jamming with an orchestra of harp-slinging cherubs. Coltrane has wings, is what I’m seeing.

7. “Jingle Bells” by Puttin’ on the Ritz JT: More Christmas music should be this true to life: the sound of a bunch of drunks doing it wrong. Oh, what fun is right; these jazz weirdos sound insane!

ML: Wow, this song is spinning wildly out of control from start to finish. The only thing moving those drums is centrifugal force.

8. “One Special Gift” by Low JT: Taking it in the exact opposite direction, this captures the vibe of post-holiday depression real well. You’re a huge drag, Low, and I love you for it!

ML: I don’t find this depressing at all! After a while, all that goodwill and cheer starts to seem less genuine. This feels like someone pressed mute on all the seasonal commercials, radio jingles and holiday music to let me know the real world is still out there.

9. “Skating” by Vince Guaraldi Trio JT: When I got to interview George Winston, he hipped me to the invention and intuition of Vince Guaraldi in terms of how he could work out music that was perfect for all ages. The descending piano is nothing so much as falling snowflakes.

ML: I am a terrible ice skater and a terrible jazz pianist.

This song has nothing for me.

10. “My Christmas Memory” by Patton Oswalt JT: This makes me laugh until I cry. Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal.

ML: This guy can alternately scream and say, “OK,” over and over again for two minutes and make it funny.

DECEMBER 21, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

13

Let us help you with your holiday meals.

Sides for Christmas dinner and goodies for Christmas Day brunch ready for pick up December 23 & 24.

We will be open for brunch on Christmas Eve. We will be closed for dinner and closed from December 25-31.

Happy Holidays!

New Year’s Day Champagne Brunch 12:30-4:30pm Call or email jessica@heirloomathens.com for reservations.

706.354.7901

Corner of Chase and Boulevard

heirloomathens.com

Happy New Year!

The

office will be closed from Dec. 23 to Jan. 2

See you in 2012!

14

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 21, 2011

threats & promises Music News And Gossip

This Moore-tal Coil: Busy Athens folks Lucas Jensen (Venice Is Sinking) and B.C. Fortenberry just released a collaborative, six-track effort under the name A.C. Moore.

The project takes its title from A.C. Moore Elementary School in Columbia, SC, because the vocals on the record are all snippets of field recordings done at the school. The kids wrote poems under the tutelage of Kristyn “KK” Kuennen, the school’s poet-in-residence, had them recorded by Dr. Courtnie Wolfgang, and then the tapes were cut up and used as lyrics on top of Jensen and Fortenberry’s ambient electronica. The school held a “Creative Literacy Night” a few weeks ago where the recordings were played. I listened to the whole thing, and for the most part, I suppose it’s pleasant enough, but some

will play its first-ever show on Dec. 29 at Atlanta venue the EARL. The group is composed of Hardy Morris (Dead Confederate), Steve Berlin (Los Lobos), John McCauley and Rob Crowell (Deer Tick), Ian Saint Pe (Black Lips) and Brian Dufresne (Six Finger Satellite). Doesn’t that just blow your skirt up? Only one song from the combo has been released, and it’s a snore about eating Chinese food on Christmas day (see the video over at www.vimeo.com/33140228), but the group’s publicist promises that “the rest of the album is a bit more rockin’.” Well, it wouldn’t take much. An album is in the works and will come out in March.

Pam Baxendale

Doctor, Lawyer, Etc.: Nuçi’s Space is gearing up for another edition of its Athens Business Rocks event, whereby local businesses form bands specifically for a charity “band battle” and then duke it out at the 40 Watt. Like last time, there are three separate competition dates and then a grand finale date to determine the overall winner. If you’re interested in participating, it’d be a good idea to go ahead and get your act together and register your group over at www.athensbusinessrocks.com.

The competition happens in February 2012, and applications are being accepted now.

Great Holiday Gift Ideas INclUDe

Adult DVDs Toys for Lovers Tobacco Accessories Sexual Enhancements Bath & Body Products Massage Oil & Lubes Adult Games & Novelties

n

Chucklin’ Cheese: Hey, parents, if you’re wondering what to do on Saturday, Mar. 3, 2012 and you’ve not yet filled up your kid’s Christmas stocking, you might be interested to know that renowned kids band Laughing Pizza will be at the 2011 Athens Business Rocks Champions The McCommunists Melting Point that of this is just downright unsettling. It’s like night. Advance tickets are $12 for general listening to Music for Airports, and then out admission and $20 for reserved seating. This of nowhere some little kid is saying, “I don’t show will probably sell out, so if you’re on the care what people think about me” and “I fence, it’s time to pick a side. For more infordon’t care a single thing about what somemation, please see www.meltingpointathens. one says.” Ostensibly, I guess, these could com and www.laughingpizza.com. be seen as positive statements, but in the context of this particular record they sound Short Takes: Dusty Lightswitch has broken defensive, if not defiant. Kudos to Kuennen up… That El Hollín album I mentioned a and Wolfgang for documenting exactly what couple of weeks ago is completed and released the kids wanted to say and not censoring under the title Pleasure-Puncher. It’s got a them for the sake of comfort. You can head whopping 26 tracks and is available at www. over to www.fortenberryandjensen.bandcamp. elhollin.bandcamp.com… Spring Tigers com to check it all out. has broken up… The HEAP has a new track available over at www.theheap.bandcamp.

That Place with the Books: The Oconee County com. It’s titled “It’s Your Own Kind of Thing” Library will host its Winter Break Kick-Off and is a straight-up old-school heavy R&B party on Wednesday, Dec. 21 from 7 p.m. to tune—i.e., exactly what you’d expect, right? midnight. Athens band Werewolves will perIt’s also reportedly the first of several singles form. The event is coordinated by the library’s to be released from the group… Tunabunny, Young Adult Program which occasionally hosts still buoyant from a massive wave of positive concerts such as this. It’s open to persons age press following the release of its LP, Minima 11–18, but those under 18 must have a parent Moralia, will tour the U.K. in February. Member or legal guardian fill out a permission slip to Brigette Adair Herron finished the first epiattend. Other happenings during this event sode of her new video show, “I Want More!,” include snacks, a scavenger hunt, prizes and a and you can see it over at www.youtube. talent show. For more information, please see com/user/IWantMoreTVAthens. If she keeps it www.facebook.com/OCLYA. going, I can imagine I will look back on this as fondly as I do Chip Shirley’s “Partyline.”

A Long Winter’s Nap: That band that was all hush-hush a few months ago, Diamond Rugs, Gordon Lamb threatsandpromises@flagpole.com

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Welcome to the last Threats & Promises for 2011. Next week’s column will feature the “year in review” for 2012. I figure, why wait a whole year to find out what happened, right?

But, for now, settle your anticipation and just enjoy what’s being offered. It’s good to be grateful for what you have. So, with that, let’s go…

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DECEMBER 21, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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16

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 21, 2011

Athens Albums from 2011

In No Particular Order...

Minima Moralia by Tunabunny

This album snagged the band its first substantial national and international coverage, created a sizable buzz at this year’s CMJ Music Marathon and will catapult the band into its first tour of the U.K. in February. And it’s a devil, because careful, sustained, repeated and observant listening—the kind that goes deeper than the easy touchstones of noisy pop, post-punk influences and melodic vocals—reveals an album packed with pain, confusion, isolation, longing, grasping and gasping. Its certainty is wobbly and emerging. It holds a defiant stance, but with its fists in its pockets. It’s a guitar album that has no heroes and, in a grand sense, no history. It’s the biggest gulp of fresh air this year. [Gordon Lamb]

The Future Doesn’t Need You by Gripe

It’s so difficult to create a truly individual sound in the codified world of hardcore/ power violence/grindcore. Even the bands that attempt to put their own spin on things generally submit to being the third version of much better known groups. Gripe is different.

The band’s first record of 2011, The Future Doesn’t Need You, is the document that put Gripe on hardcore’s map. The reaction from the underground press, which resides largely online these days, has been overwhelming.

Gripe gave good reason to stop being an apologist for weaker bands simply because they were new, sounded familiar, had good intentions, etc. Significantly, though, there’s never been the feeling from Gripe that they were putting out a challenge to anyone.

The quality of the work was just such that it automatically became a thing to enjoy and envy. The band proved that if the creativity is there, then the rules are meaningless. Sure, hardcore and punk have always liked to say that there are no rules. Bullshit. There are tons of rules, and everyone knows them.

And thank God for them, because they help keep stupid bands corralled. Gripe needs no walls. [GL]

Comfort by powerkompany

Powerkompany is a testament to the collaborative spirit, and the beautiful fruit it can bear. Husband and wife duo Marie Davon and Andrew Heaton put their heads together in creating this acoustic/electronic dream-pop project, and the results preserved on Comfort are by turns soul-stirring and heartbreaking. [David Fitzgerald]

Black Velvet by Madeline Adams

On this release, local treasure Madeline Adams explores more abstract lyrical territory while backed by the measured and thoughtful arrangements of her band. Once again Adams proves herself to be one this town’s finest songwriters, with an album full of vivid stories and dynamic melodies featuring her captivating, deceptively sweet vocals and biting wit. [Michelle Gilzenrat]

People and Places by FLT RSK

2011 was a huge year for electronic music, and, thanks primarily to FLT RSK, Athens can claim a piece of that cultural shift. This chameleonic trio’s genre-quantum-leaping turned their debut album, People and Places, into a multifaceted tour de force.

Creatively daring, unconscionably danceable and never, ever dull; don’t miss this FLT. [DF]

Better Things by Easter Island

Released in March this year, Better Things felt as light and sweet as the spring breeze, but its lovely tones feel even richer now as a soundtrack to the winter months. It shimmers like the Christmas lights wrapped around trees downtown, and it envelopes you like a plush down comforter. And that’s true even on songs like “Into Bedrooms”; despite lyrics that threaten, “I could kill you, and I’d like to.

I’d destroy you,” the song still feels about as abrasive as a Snuggie. With dulcet piano tones, echoey guitars and the Payne brothers’ gentle vocal vibrato, Easter Island makes some of the prettiest music to be found in town. [MG]

Have You Met Lera Lynn? by Lera Lynn

This was a huge year for Lera Lynn. Her song “Bobby, Baby” took first place in the Chris Austin Songwriting Competition at Merlefest; she gained a dedicated local following that came out in droves to see her play both solo and with her band;

her cover of TV on the Radio’s “Wolf Like Me” got over 45,000 views on YouTube.

And this record stands as both a bold introduction to her work and a testament to her growing potential. Lera Lynn writes country songs that are full of bluesy grit, but her vocals never get too twangy. Instead, they seduce with the breathy, smoky tones of a jazz singer. The pleasure is ours, Lera Lynn, and we look forwarding to meeting you again in the new year. [MG]

Breaks in the Armour by Crooked Fingers

This album’s strongest attribute is its sincere directness. Eric Bachmann (Arches of Loaf) exhibits great restraint, reeling in his pop tendencies to create a stark yet beautifully nuanced collection of songs wrapped in ragged Americana and propelled by tension. The album was recorded locally with Matt Yelton at The Bakery, and I’m glad Bachmann decided to stick around so Athens can officially call Crooked Fingers its own. [MG]

Maybe These Are the Breaks by Masters of the Hemisphere

With Athens’ greatest comeback record of the year, Masters of the Hemisphere return in fine form with their first release in nearly a decade. This record offers pure, unadulterated indie-pop bliss with bright, catchy melodies coated with just the right amount of sheen. The song structures often feel deceptively simple because the tunes are so fun and easygoing, but Masters’ songwriting approach is more ambitious than ever. On Maybe These Are the Breaks the band traverses that signature Kindercore jangle-pop sound as well as acoustic ballads and even a little country folk, complete with steel guitars. [MG]

Oblangle Fizz, Y’all by Reptar

This Ben Allen-produced EP could never completely live up to the hype and high expectations of Reptar’s rabid fanbase, but it certainly proved effective, nonetheless. The risk was that Reptar’s own reputation would upstage the release: How could any recording compete with the Dionysian jubilation of the band’s live gigs?

It couldn’t, but frankly, it didn’t matter. Instead of trying to mimic the live experience, the EP revealed the nuanced arrangements and subtleties of Reptar’s songwriting that sometimes get lost in all the costumes and confetti. Elements like Graham Ulicny’s delightfully malleable vocals—at turns accented, exaggerated and playful—take center stage here. Occasionally the tunes get lost in their own ambition, ambling off in opposing directions, but even those imperfections showcase an underlying sense of adventurousness that will continue to propel the group forward. Reptar has not yet reached its peak, but it’s on its way up fast. [MG]

Punch Drunk by Don Chambers + GOAT

“Like Tom Waits fronting a Southern rock band” seemed to be the critics’ consensus on this one, and it’s a winning combination that Chambers has perfected. It’s a raunchy, heavy take on Southern Gothic that features Chambers’ most visceral vocal performance to date. This album is gritty, sometimes sleazy, but always fierce. Or, as Bao Le-Huu wrote in his review for Flagpole in November, “Punch Drunk is a towering, swaggering triumph that’s dizzyingly rich, dark as the night and unrelentingly massive.” [MG]

Honorable Mention: 1. No Weight No Chain by Ruby Kendrick 2. Your God Is Dead to Me Now by Five Eight 3. Tournament by Manray 4. Hide the World by Dodd Ferrelle 5. Form a Sign by Grape Soda 6. Rise On Up and Melt by Efren 7. We’re Not Coming Back This Way by Sam Sniper 8. Psychopomp by Kuroma 9. Castlebandia by Bit Brigade 10. Contenders by Ken Will Morton 11. Manifest Blasphemy by Yo Soybean

2011’s Most Memorable

Moments in Athens Music Concert Highlights & More

F

rom big anniversaries to big breakups, downtown institutions reopening and shuttering, 2011 was packed with music happenings. Flagpole’s music writers sifted through the year’s headlines, Tweets and live show reviews to generate our list of most memorable moments. We estimated that there were about 6,000 sets of music played this year in Athens, so obviously a few gigs are not going to make the cut, but here are the moments that most stand out in our collective memory.

Widespread Panic’s 25th Anniversary

Feb. 10 & 11 @ The Classic Center Flagpole heralded the renowned jam band’s two-night stand at the Classic Center with perhaps our best cover art of all time: Dave Schools as cupid. WSP returned later in the year for another special night, packing out the Georgia Theatre and raising tens of thousands of dollars for Tunes for Tots. [Michelle Gilzenrat]

Athens Business Rocks

Feb. 2–4, 19 @ 40 Watt Club No, this isn’t just another excuse to remind all our readers that Flagpole took home top prize in the competition (Ed. note: yes, it is). But even if The

Eat. Drink. Listen Closely.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23 Annual Christmas Show with

RACK OF SPAM

Tickets $10 adv • $13 at the door

Madeline, The Glands

Aug. 1 @ Georgia Theatre Madeline Adams may have recently moved to Atlanta, but her longtime status as an Athens favorite solidified as the first full band to usher in the renovated Georgia Theatre, playing before a packed house of well-wishers and happy folks.

She and her backing band warmed up the crowd for The Glands, who were performing their first “real” show in a about a decade. Warm feelings filled the room, and it didn’t matter that the band’s energy was just lukewarm (I’ve always preferred their recordings to their live performances)—the night was a summertime welcome-back party with the sort of bonhomie more typical of this festive time of year. [CH]

Reptar

Mike White · deadlydesigns.com

Aug. 26 @ Farm 255 Whether you love ‘em or love to hate ‘em, there’s no denying that Reptar was the most hyped local act of the year… again. There was a line around the block to catch these guys at AthFest; they packed the Georgia Theatre, too, but the absurdity of this show at Farm will forever be etched in my memory. That Farm 255 wasn’t shut down by the fire marshall that night was nothing short of a miracle. I had to watch the gig through the railings of MAX because the restaurant patio was packed—probably 10 times over its capacity. It looked unbearably claustrophobic to me, even outdoors, but the crowd stayed tightly packed until the end of the set, despite technical difficulties. [MG]

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27 Terrapin Tuesday Series featuring

BORDERHOP 5 $5 Admission • $2 Terrapin Pints!

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Two Night New Year’s Eve Run with

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Hotel Packages $145 General Admission $25 Adv Hotel Packages SOLD OUT General Admission $55 Adv General Admission & Buffet Dinner $95 Adv

SchoolKids Records Closes

August Low Yo Yo Stuff returned to the scene just as another one bit the dust. Just remember that if you love local record stores and want them to stick around, you’ve got to patronize regularly… even if the owner of the store might patronize you. [MG]

of Montreal

Wild Flag McCommunists hadn’t dominated, we’d still be singing this event’s praises. People often joke that every dang person in this town is a musician, but thanks to Nuçi’s Space’s brilliant fundraising event, we learned that it’s true. HVAC repairmen rocked alongside employees from print-copy stores; computer nerds took on bartenders.

Flagpole’s own lineup featured drivers, editors, office managers and interns. What a blast! And you better believe we’ll be back to defend our title in 2012. [MG]

David Barbe at UGA

March After filling in as the interim director, Barbe was finally appointed as the official director of the UGA Music Business Program. You couldn’t ask for a cooler professor or one more knowledgeable about the ins and outs of the music business— unless maybe you ask for David Lowery, whom MBUS also recruited this year. [MG]

Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Mar. 1 @ 40 Watt CLub Godspeed You! Black Emperor played like a tidal wave: a rushing wall of apocalyptic post-rock that enveloped the crowd, washed every onlooker clean with the revelatory power of its musical vision and saw them emerge from the 40 Watt newer, wholer people. This show was nothing short of a baptism by sound. [David Fitzgerald]

AthFest Gets Electrified

June 24 @ Downtown Athens The weather stole the show at AthFest this year, when Lera Lynn’s breathtaking cover of “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” was punctuated by an explosive exclamation from up above. A lightning bolt struck the corner of Trappeze Pub, shattering bricks and causing a few startled fans to, um, shat a brick as well. Although a handful of people were smacked by building fragments, nobody was very seriously injured, and the festival continued without disruption. [MG]

The Georgia Theatre Returns

Aug. 1 AthFest came and went. Not-so-secret shows that were meant to serve as a soft opening for the Theatre were cancelled. After a two-year roller-coaster ride, the Theatre’s reopening was still in doubt just hours before The Glands were set to take the stage for opening night. And then the Tweet finally came: “APPROVED!! The @ GaTheatre is officially ready to go.” That show made Chris Hassiotis’ top list; see the next item. [MG]

Sept. 1 @ Georgia Theatre Of Montreal always puts on a great show, but their performance this past September was especially noteworthy.

It may have been the shiny newness of the Georgia Theatre or Kevin Barnes’ fabulous assortment of tights, but the groundbreaking levels of positive energy were undeniable.

It was all of the glittering good time I’d hoped for, with a few pre-The Sunlandic Twins jams and plenty of funky new tunes to boot. Seeing so many super-young faces in the audience restored my faith in the younger generation’s musical taste. [Carrie Dagenhard]

Sons of Daughters

Sept. 21 @ Hendershot’s Coffee Bar On a truly transportive evening, a saxophonist with fire in his soul turned a cozy coffee bar into a noirish speakeasy, and half a dozen patrons into mad men and femmes fatale with one bombastic, voluminous, devastating solo. Barely a blip on the Athenian radar, this remains the most profound musical experience I had all year. [DF]

THURSDAY, JANUARY 5 Evening of Zydeco with

LIL MALCOM & THE HOUSE ROCKERS Tickets $10 adv • $12 at the door

SATURDAY, JANUARY 7

SWINGIN’ MEDALLIONS $20 Admission • $24 Door

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11

SARAH JAROSZ Tickets $10 adv • $12 at the door

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18 An Acoustic Evening with

AMY RAY (of The Indigo Girls) & LINDSAY FULLER Tickets $12 adv • $15 at the door

Wild Flag

Oct. 22 @ 40 Watt Club The soul-spirit of great electric guitar music was fully divined the night Wild Flag came to town. They arrived in Athens in the midst of a hellride of a tour, supporting their mostly live, self-titled LP; their commitment to a bullshit-free (no backing tracks or other cheat codes) presentation of the reality of their music was evident. They brought it all: tangled-up Television guitar rave-ups, Sabbath grit and Live at Leeds exploratory energy. Put your money on them. [Jeff Tobias]

Manray

Anywhere.

I probably caught five or six Manray sets this year, and I can’t pick a favorite.

Maybe it was the mind-blowing night when Bambara’s Blaze Bateh doubled up the drumming power, or maybe one of the nights Lazer/Wulf’s Bryan Aiken added another layer of shredding onstage. But Manray doesn’t need guest players to tear it up. Their shows are consistently thrilling: intense, provocative and filled with enough smiles and teasing banter to avoid scaring away more timid music fans.

I wonder how many dudes were inspired to get chest tattoos after seeing them play… [MG]

Hip-Hop

This was the greatest year in recent memory to catch national hip-hop acts in Athens. We were treated to Big Boi (so many dancing ladies!), Snoop Dogg (so many dancing family members!), Del the Funky Homosapien and my personal favorite, a blazing, high-energy set from Childish Gambino at the Theatre. Oh, and speaking of comedians who also rap, let’s not forget the impressively choreographed and hilarious set from Turquoise Jeep at the 40 Watt. So much fun. [MG]

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20

RANDALL BRAMBLETT BAND Tickets $15 adv • $18 at the door $45 Table for two • $90 Table for four

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21 Rich Mullinax and Foundry Entertainment present...

TONY RICE AND

MOUNTAIN HEART Tickets $21 adv • $25 at the door

UPCOMING EVENTS 1.3 THE DEADFIELDS 1.6 BIG DADDY’S BAND 1.13 OTHER BROTHERS BAND, BONOBOS CONVERGENCE 1.17 KENNEY BLACKMON BAND 1.24 WHISKEY OF THE DAMNED 1.25 ERICK BAKER, CALLAGHAN 1.26 FAREWELL DRIFTERS, DARNELL BOYS 1.27 @ Georgia Theatre YACHT ROCK REVUE LOCATED ON THE GROUNDS OF

1.28 DEJA VU: Tribute to CSN&Y 1.31 KLEZMER LOCAL 42 2.2 @Georgia Theatre CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS 2.3 ANVIL, ATHENS 2.4 SONS OF SAILORS 2.7 STRING THEORY 2.10 GRAINS OF SAND 2.21 TAB BENOIT - FAT TUESDAY 2.29 CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO 3.8 STEPHEN KELLOGG & THE SIXERS 3.15 COLIN HAY (of Men at Work) 3.22 ANDY McKEE 4.6 ABIGAIL WASHBURN 295 E. DOUGHERTY ST., ATHENS, GA

706.254.6909

WWW.MELTINGPOINTATHENS.COM

FOR TICKETS & SHOWTIMES OR CALL THE BOX OFFICE 706.254.6909

DECEMBER 21, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

17

the calendar!

WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK

HOLIDAY DeadlinE: The deadline for getting listed in the Calendar will be WEDNESDAY, Dec. 21 at 5 p.m. for the double issue of Dec. 28–Jan. 4. Email calendar@flagpole.com.

Tuesday 20 EVENTS: Holiday Potluck Dinner (Rocksprings Community Center & Park) Bring your homemade dish and share in holiday festivities like bingo, music and a visit from St. Nick. Call to register. 5–7 p.m. $3.

706-613-3603.

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. $5. www.myspace.com/ flickerbar KIDSTUFF: Santa’s Workshop (East Athens Community Center) It’s not child labor if it’s fun! Kids ages 3-12 are invited to help Santa with some last-minute chores. Fill in for Santa’s depleted elf workforce and help feed the reindeer, decorate cookies, stuff the stockings and hang the lights! Call to register. 5–6 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3595 KIDSTUFF: Storytime (Oconee County Library) Enjoy a morning of stories, songs and crafts. For kids ages 2–5 and their caregivers. Every Tuesday and Wednesday. 10 & 11 a.m. FREE! 706-769-3950 KIDSTUFF: Youth Christmas Party (Lay Park) Activities include a visit from Santa, games, refreshments and goody bags. For ages 3–10.

6–8 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3596 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. For the next few weeks, a free pitcher of beer goes to the team with the best name! 8:30 p.m. FREE! www.locosgrill.com GAMES: Trivia (Shane’s Rib Shack, College Station) Every Tuesday! 7 p.m. 706-543-0050

18

GAMES: Trivia (Chango’s Asian Kitchen) Learn facts, eat noodles.

Every Tuesday. 7:30 p.m. FREE! 706546-0015 GAMES: Trivia with a Twist (Johnny’s New York Style Pizza) Throw a lime in your Coors Light and compete! Tuesdays & Thursdays, 7:30–9:30 p.m. 706354-1515

Wednesday 21 EVENTS: Wine Tasting (Porterhouse Grill) Enjoy light appetizers paired with eight different wines and sparklers provided by ABC Package. Call for reservations. 6-7:30 p.m. $15.

706-369-0990 ART: Tour at Two (Georgia Museum of Art) Meet docents in the lobby for a tour of highlights from the permanent collection. 2 p.m. FREE! www. georgiamuseum.org PERFORMANCE: Winter Solstice Service (Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens) Celebrate the longest night of the year and the return of the sun with the UUFA Chalice Choir. 780 Timothy Rd. 7 p.m. FREE! 706-546-7914 KIDSTUFF: Kids’ Yuletide Bash (Rocksprings Community Center) Activities include holiday karaoke, crafts, dancing and more. 4:30–6 p.m. $2. 706-613-3603, www.athensclarkecounty.com/rocksprings KIDSTUFF: Storytime (Oconee County Library) Enjoy a morning of stories, songs and crafts. For kids ages 2–5 and their caregivers. 10 & 11 a.m. FREE! 706-769-3950 KIDSTUFF: Winter Break Kick-Off Party (Oconee County Library) Party events include a book swap, scavenger hunt, talent show, prizes and a performance from Athens pop/ punk/folk band Werewolves. Ages 11–18. 7 p.m.–12 p.m. FREE! 706769-3950

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 21, 2011

GAMES: Sports Trivia (Beef ‘O’ Brady’s) Test your sports knowledge every Wednesday night. 8:30 p.m.

FREE! 706-850-1916 GAMES: Trivia (Blind Pig Tavern) Think you know it all? Wednesdays, 8 p.m. (Baldwin St. location), 8:30 p.m. (Broad St. location). 706-5483442 GAMES: Trivia (Mellow Mushroom) Every Wednesday. 8 p.m. FREE! 706-613-992 GAMES: Trivia (Willy’s Mexicana Grill) Trivia with a DJ! Every Wednesday. 8–10 p.m. FREE! 706548-1920 GAMES: Trivia (Your Pie, 5 Points) Open your pie-hole for a chance to win! Every Wednesday. 7:30 p.m.

FREE! www.yourpie.com

Thursday 22 GAMES: Trivia with a Twist (Johnny’s New York Style Pizza) Throw a lime in your Coors Light and compete! Tuesdays & Thursdays, 7:30–9:30 p.m. 706354-1515

Friday 23 EVENTS: Phil Kline’s Unsilent Night (Little Kings Shuffle Club) Participatory seasonal musical procession in which individuals gather to play an electronic composition while parading. Bring your own boombox and/or mp3 player. The parade will begin and end at Little Kings. 6:30–8 p.m. FREE! 706369-3144

Saturday 24 ART: Holiday Pottery Sale (Blue Bell Gallery) Works by Tina McCullough and Tammy Nance.

The paintings of Manty Dey are on display at Etienne Brasserie through January.

Every Saturday through Dec. 24. 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Visit www.bluebellgallery.net KIDSTUFF: Saturday Morning Zoo Tours (Memorial Park) Learn the inside story of Bear Hollow Zoo’s residents. Every second and fourth Saturday of the month. 10–11 a.m.

FREE! www.athensclarkecounty.com/ bearhollow

Tuesday 27 GAMES: Locos Trivia (Locos Grill & Pub) All three Athens locations (Westside, Eastside and Harris St.) For the next few weeks, a free pitcher of beer goes to the team with the best name! 8:30 p.m. FREE! www. locosgrill.com

GAMES: Trivia (Shane’s Rib Shack, College Station) Every Tuesday!7 p.m. 706-543-0050 GAMES: Trivia (Chango’s Asian Kitchen) Learn facts, eat noodles.

7:30 p.m. FREE! 706-546-0015 GAMES: Trivia with a Twist (Johnny’s New York Style Pizza) Tuesdays & Thursdays, 7:30–9:30 p.m. 706-354-1515

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Wednesday 28 EVENTS: Collage Calendars (Madison County Library) Cut out images and words from magazines to describe your year and make a personalized calendar. 2 p.m. FREE! 706-795-5597 KIDSTUFF: Wildcard Wednesday for Teens (ACC Library) Up next: Game Day! Play one of the library’s games or bring your favorite from home to share. Ages 11–18. Space is limited. 4 p.m. FREE! 706-6133650 KIDSTUFF: Winter Holiday Celebrations Around the World (Oconee County Library) Teens will learn about holiday celebrations such as Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and more. Holidayinspired treats will be served while teens learn and do crafts. Ages 11– 18. 6–8 p.m. FREE! 706-769-3950 GAMES: Sports Trivia (Beef ‘O’ Brady’s) Test your sports knowledge every Wednesday night. 8:30 p.m.

FREE! 706-850-1916 GAMES: Trivia (Blind Pig Tavern) Wednesdays, 8 p.m. (Baldwin St. location), 8:30 p.m. (Broad St. location). 706-548-3442 GAMES: Trivia (Mellow Mushroom) Every Wednesday. 8 p.m. FREE! 706-613-992 GAMES: Trivia (Willy’s Mexicana Grill) Every Wednesday. 8–10 p.m.

FREE! 706-548-1920 GAMES: Trivia (Your Pie, 5 Points) Open your pie-hole for a chance to win! Every Wednesday. 7:30 p.m.

FREE! www.yourpie.com * Advance Tickets Available

Down the Line EVENTS: A Taste of Oconee 1/28 (Oconee County Civic Center) Sixth annual event hosted by the Oconee County Middle School Band and Chorus Boosters. 5–8 p.m. $20 (adv.), $25. www.tasteofoconee.com, www.facebook.com/atasteofoconee EVENTS: Athens Jewish Film Festival 2/12 (Morton Theatre) Featuring a lineup of critically acclaimed films that explore the Jewish identity, culture and experience. Feb. 12–14. www.athensjff.org EVENTS: The Miss Black A-CC Teen Pageant 4/22 (Morton Theatre) Contestants compete for awards in community service and academia in this 37th annual pageant. 5 p.m. $10 (adv.), $15. 706613-3771, www.mortontheatre.com * Advance Tickets Available

Live Music Wednesday 21 Boar’s Head Lounge 9 p.m. 706-369-3040 OPEN MIC NIGHT Welcoming singer-songwriters every Wednesday.

Caledonia Lounge 9 p.m. www.caledonialounge.com THE WINTER SOUNDS New wave, punk and synth-pop melded into well crafted and lyrically inspiring songs. Tonight will feature a special, low-key set on accordion and banjo with “as many Christmas songs and fun ‘80s covers as we can think of.”

Farm 255 9 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com CALEB DARNELL Member of The Darnell Boys and Bellyache performs as part of Jazz Night.

Hendershot’s Coffee Bar 8 p.m. $3. www.hendershotscoffeebar. com SCOTT SPILLANE Former Neutral Milk Hotel horn player and current Gerbils frontman plays a solo set every Wednesday in December.

Little Kings Shuffle Club 10 p.m. 706-369-3144 COLD ONES Local punk band featuring members of Christopher’s Liver, among others. Skuzzy and straightforward, with riffs and rough vocals, but not without melody.

GRIPE Local grindcore/powerviolence.

MAUSER Fierce, thrashy punk rock from Florida.

SHAVED CHRIST Local grinder/punk band featuring members of American Cheeseburger, Witches, Dark Meat and Hot New Mexicans.

Oconee County Library Winter Break Kick-Off Party. 7 p.m.– Midnight.

WEREWOLVES Local pop/punk/folk group plays a special concert for teens (ages 11–18).

The Office Lounge 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-0840 KARAOKE With your host Lynn, the Queen of Karaoke!

Thursday 22 Flicker Theatre & Bar 8:30 p.m. FREE! www.flickertheatreandbar.com MARK CUNNINGHAM Local songwriter sings soulful Americana.

BETSY FRANCK This local songwriter offers soulful, brassy Southern rock and country songs rooted in tradition, but with a modern sensibility.

ADAM KLEIN Local singer-songwriter offers a blend of the finest elements of folk, Americana and country with poetic lyricism and striking imagery to create engaging, well-crafted songs.

Go Bar 10 p.m. FREE! 706-546-5609 DR. FRED’S KARAOKE Hosted by karaoke fanatic John “Dr. Fred” Bowers and featuring a large assortment of pop, rock, indie and more.

The Office Lounge 8:30 p.m. 706-546-0840.

THE SHADOW EXECUTIVES Get your fill of straight-up, authentic blues covers from this skilled Athens five-piece. Playing at “Blues Night” every Thursday at The Office Lounge.

Friday 23 Applebee’s 10 p.m.–1 a.m. FREE! 706-543-1339 KARAOKE Every Friday.

Go Bar 10 p.m. FREE! 706-546-5609 TWIN POWERS DJ Dan Geller (Gold Party, The Agenda) and friends spin late-night glam rock, new wave, Top 40, punk and Britpop.

Las Conchitas Caliente 7–9 p.m. FREE! 706-353-2500 BETO CACAO Y AMIGOS Latin music and “villansicos navidenos. “

12/3/10

11:30 AM

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DECK theWALLS! ARTIST - MADE GREETING CARDS ORNAMENTS WREATHS CANDLES AND OTHER SEASONAL ITEMS

PHOTOGRAPHY WATERCOLORS OIL PAINTINGS FIBER ARTS POTTERY JEWELRY PRINTS FUSED & STAINED GLASS

Looking for something a little out of the ordinary?

GALLERY SHOP at Lyndon House Arts Center Visit the

Tuesday - Saturday, Noon - 5 p.m.

Lots of free parking!

293 Hoyt Street, Athens GA 30601 706-613-3623 ext 224

Happy Holidays!

OPEN CHRISTMAS Special Lunch Buffet 12-3pm and Dinner 5-10pm

Free Dessert with Purchase of Entree Lunch: Mon-Fri 11:30am-3pm Sat-Sun 12pm-3pm Dinner: Mon-Sun 5pm-10pm Open 7 Days • 131 B East Broad St. 706-559-0000 • www.indiaathens.com

If you are in crisis due to domestic violence, Classic City Orthodontics wants you to find help.

If your partner objects when you use the phone, limits your everyday contact with family and friends, and you restrict yourself to avoid angry, aggressive confrontations, you need to step back and take another look. How can you cope once you are involved with a controlling partner? Call Project Safe for help.

Our hotline is confidential, and counseling is free.

Get your life back. Get help.

706-543-3331

Hotline, 24 hours/day

Linea de crisis, las 24 horas del dia

Do You Smoke Cigarettes?

• We are conducting a research study on smoking.

• Participation will include two in-person assessments, including one magnetic resonance imaging scan.

• You will be paid up to $65 for ~5 hours of participation.

Call 706-542-6881 for more information

Little Kings Shuffle Club Kreutzmas! 9 p.m. 706-369-3144 COLD ONES Local punk band featuring members of Christopher’s Liver, among others. Skuzzy and straightforward, with riffs and rough vocals, but not without melody. k continued on next page

DECEMBER 21, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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THE CALENDAR! MANRAY Local band waves a big middle finger to traditional song structure while playing what Flagpole’s Gordon Lamb has coined “complicated-core.”

WADE BOGGS Local punk band featuring Ian McCord (of local bands Hot New Mexicans and Carrie Nations) and lots of raw, catchy hooks.

YE OLDE SUB SHOPPE Big-hearted pop music played on tiny instruments.

The Melting Point Annual Christmas Show. 8:30 p.m. $10 (adv.), $13 (door). www.meltingpointathens.com* RACK OF SPAM This regional eightpiece group got its start here in Athens in 1981. With three decades in the business, the group’s Detroitstyle R&B and blue-eyed soul still sounds powerful. Celebrating their 35th anniversary tonight! Read a fan’s recollections of the band’s career at www.flagpole.com.

The Office Lounge 9 p.m. FREE! 706-546-0840 THE TANGENTS This country-fried rock group from Watkinsville carries Lynyrd Skynyrd licks and John Mellencamp melodies.

Saturday 24 Go Bar 9 p.m. 706-546-5609 DJ MARK MOBLEY Get your Xmas groove on with Mark, who’ll be “spinning music for the season from The Nutcracker Suite to The Pogues.”

Friday, Dec. 23 continued from p. 19

Monday 26 Go Bar 10 p.m. FREE! 706-546-5609 DR. FRED’S KARAOKE Hosted by karaoke fanatic John “Dr. Fred” Bowers and featuring a large assortment of pop, rock, indie and more.

Tuesday 27 Little Kings Shuffle Club 10 p.m. 706-369-3144 DJ LOZO Spinning punk rock!

EL HOLLIíN Local band offers ethereal vocals and minimalist arrangements.

KOKO BEWARE Surf rock outfit from Augusta.

YOUNGER SIBLINGS Featuring members of PS Eliot stradling the indie-pop/punk line.

The Melting Point 7 p.m. $5. www.meltingpointathens. com BORDERHOP 5 This bluegrass quintet sums up its sound in two words: “high” and “lonesome.”

Wednesday 28 Boar’s Head Lounge 9 p.m. 706-369-3040 OPEN MIC NIGHT Welcoming singer-songwriters every Wednesday.

Caledonia Lounge 8 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com AN ISLE ATE HER A hybrid of technical metal and grindcore from Atlanta.

CITY OF IFA Progressive and playfully experimental screamo from Orlando.

COME WHAT MAY Melodic hardcore band with a positive message for the people.

HEATHEN TALK Brand-new local “jazzy tap math” band, featuring exmembers of Cloudeaters.

Flicker Theatre & Bar 8:30 p.m. FREE! www.flickertheatreandbar.com BOYCYCLE Brand-new local band featuring Andre Ducote, Ashley Floyd, Austin Williams and Bryson Blumenstock playing dreamy, inventive tunes driven by various percussive instruments and synth.

GLUPIST New band featuring Danny Gorbachev, formerly of Nuclear Spring, playing folky rock numbers with a sense of humor.

WOODWORKS Jenny Woodward and Mandy Riley (of Like Totally!) and Stephanie Davis (visiting from the Big Apple) sing ethereal folk songs that will knock you to your knees.

They’ll be joined by Scott Woodward on percussion and Will Taylor on cello.

Hendershot’s Coffee Bar 8 p.m. $3. www.hendershotscoffeebar. com SCOTT SPILLANE The former Neutral Milk Hotel horn player and current Gerbils frontman will play a solo set.

The Office Lounge 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-0840 KARAOKE This is your last chance this year to party with your host Lynn, the Queen of Karaoke!

Wednesday, December 21

The Winter Sounds Caledonia Lounge According to the flyer for this special holiday show, The Winter Sounds will be playing “BUTT-NAKED,” and by butt-naked they mean STRIPPED DOWN. And by “stripped down” they mean… acoustic. The onetime Athens-based electropop band churns out melodic and intricately lush tunes accented by synth and violin, but bass player Ellen Angelico says this set will feature accordion and banjo instead of keys and bass.

“It’s going to be pretty chill,” she says, with the band tackling “as many Christmas songs and fun ‘80s covers as we can think of…”

And darn it, The Winter Sounds deserve a good time. The Nashville-based band has been touring nonstop since September, swinging through Athens several times this fall.

And while the band has been busy, they did manage to record a sweet little EP called L’Été des Trois Michelles. “Merci Michelle Dupont” offers a rousing anthemic chorus in French, while “Michelle and Ryan” bounces with a new wave feel as it depicts a hipster and her whale tattoo (“and if you think it’s a shark—you’re way off”). Final track “The Glorious Union” showcases The Winter Sounds’ more orchestral side, with swelling strings and equally lavish vocal harmonies.

How does a band get lucky enough to write three different songs about Michelles?

Angelico explains. “The EP was made after The Winter Sounds did a couple different fundraisers and ended up writing a bunch of songs for donors. Three of the songs ended up being pretty good, and they also ended up being about girls named Michelle who donated to the fundraisers.” Gee, aren’t Michelles generous? And modest, too.

Another interesting side note: the artwork on the EP was designed by another former Athenian: Allison Weiss, and it’s “made up entirely of pictures of people who donated to The Winter Sounds’ first Kickstarter campaign.”

Check out www.thewintersounds.com for the EP, and then head to Caledonia Lounge for a free show. The band might not play any of the Michelle tunes, but you will likely hear a lot of songs about some guy whose birthday is pretty soon. [Michelle Gilzenrat]

* Advance Tickets Available

Join Our Team Plasma Donors Needed Now

This NEW YEAR’s EVE Join us for dinner, drinks, and dancing with

-THESENSATIONAL

SOUNDS OF

MOTOWN Athens’ Premier Classic Motown, R&B, and Soul Dance Band FEATURINg

Southern Style Buffet Cash Bar Champagne Toast Saturday, December 31st at the newly renovated VFW on Sunset Drive 6:30 doors • 7:30 buffet 9:30 music

Please help us help those coping with rare, chronic, genetic diseases.

New donors can receive $30 today and $70 this week!

Ask about our Specialty Programs!

Must be 18 years or older, have valid I.D. along with proof of SS# and local residency.

Walk-ins Welcome.

Wireless Internet Available.

Mr. Motown

For ticket information and reservations call Sherry

706-546-0543

20

Join_Our_Team_4.875x6.375.indd 1

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 21, 2011

Biotest Plasma Center 233 West Hancock Ave. Athens, GA 30601 706-354-3888 www.biotestplasma.com

11/29/11 7:33 AM

12/29 Break Science / Gramatik (Georgia Theatre) 12/29 The Shadow Executives (The Office Lounge) 12/30 Dex Romweber Duo (Farm 255) 12/30 Three Foot Swagger (Georgia Theatre) 12/30 Greg Hester / Mother’s Finest (The Melting Point)* 12/31 DJ Mahogany (Little Kings Shuffle Club) 12/31 DJRX (The Bad Manor) 12/31 Elf Power / Gringo Star / The Whigs / Z-Dog (40 Watt Club) 12/31 The Stumblin Toads (Amici Italian Café) 12/31 The B-53’s (Caledonia Lounge) 12/31 Devo Cover Band / Quiet Hooves / Sleeping Friends (Farm 255) 12/31 Qurious / Reptar / Velveteen Pink (Georgia Theatre)* 12/31 Dance Party w/ Harouki Zombi / The Gold Party / DJ List Christee / Yip Deceiver (Go Bar) 12/31 DubConcious / MartyParty / Trogdor (New Earth Music Hall) 12/31 Caroline Aiken / Mother’s Finest (The Melting Point)* 12/31 Bullet Proof (The Rialto Room) 12/31 The Sensational Sounds of Motown (VFW) 1/1 Open Mic (The Georgian Tap Room) 1/3 Sweet Knievel (No Where Bar) 1/3 Cold Ones / Wild Child (The Globe) 1/5 Athens Allstars (No Where Bar) 1/5 Lil’ Malcom & The House Rockers (The Melting Point)* 1/6 Black Girls / Dude Magnets / Jane Jane Polluck / Tumbleweed Stampede (Caledonia Lounge) 1/6 Bobby Compton / Creston Maxey / Jeff Vaughn (Georgia Theatre)*

1/6 The Big Daddy’s Band (The Melting Point)* 1/7 Golden Brown / Spirit Hair / The Goons (Caledonia Lounge) 1/7 Timi Conley / Quiabo de Chapeu (Hendershot’s Coffee Bar) 1/7 The Swingin’ Medallions (The Melting Point)* 1/11 Basshunter 64 / Bubbly Mommy Gun / Future Ape Tapes / Laughing Eye Weeping Eye (Little Kings Shuffle Club) 1/11 Yo-Yo Ma (Performing Arts Center) 1/11 Sarah Jarosz (The Melting Point)* 1/12 Drive-by-Truckers / Futurebirds (40 Watt Club) 1/12 Bubonic Funk / Bubonik Funk / Eddie and the Public Speakers (No Where Bar) 1/13 Alabama Shakes (40 Watt Club) 1/13 Showtime (No Where Bar) 1/14 Camp Amped All-Stars / Free Mountain (40 Watt Club) 1/14 Campaign / Karbomb (Caledonia Lounge) 1/14 Bear Left / Eddie and the Public Speakers / Johan Greco / The Suex Effect (Georgia Theatre)* 1/14 Kaleigh Baker (No Where Bar) 1/17 Boomfox / Connor Pledger / Street Rhythm & Rhyme (Caledonia Lounge) 1/18 Lullwater / Tastes Like Good / The Resistance (Caledonia Lounge) 1/18 Zoso (Georgia Theatre)* 1/19 Lunice / MiMOSA (Georgia Theatre)* 1/19 BKB & The Broadcast / Betsy Franck (No Where Bar) 1/20 Langhorne Slim (40 Watt Club)* 1/20 Bambara / Life Coach (Caledonia Lounge) 1/20 Randall Bramblett Band (The Melting Point)* 1/21 Old 97’s / Those Darlins (40 Watt Club)*

1/21 Easter Island / The Empties / The Romans (Caledonia Lounge) 1/21 Mountain Heart / Tony Rice (The Melting Point)* 1/25 Erick Baker / Callaghan (The Melting Point)* 1/26 Delicate Cutters / Ginger Envelope / Moths (Caledonia Lounge) 1/26 Emancipator / Little People (Georgia Theatre) 1/26 Snap! (No Where Bar) 1/27 Yacht Rock Revue (Georgia Theatre)* 1/27 Agobi Project / Ployd / Rooftop Society (New Earth Music Hall) 1/28 Highstrung String Band / Packway Handle Band / Yo Soybean (Georgia Theatre) 1/28 Deja Vu (The Melting Point) 1/30 The Mountain Goats / Nurses (40 Watt Club) 1/30 Beacon / Tycho (Georgia Theatre)* 2/2 Carolina Chocolate Drops (Georgia Theatre) 2/3 The Four Thieves (Terrapin Beer Co.) 2/3 Anvil / The Athens Band (The Melting Point) 2/4 Polish Ambassador / Zoogma (Georgia Theatre) 2/4 Domino Effect (No Where Bar) 2/4 Sons of Sailors (The Melting Point)

Fabulous Selection for Gift Ideas

REPAIRS • APPRAISALS • CUSTOM DESIGN

DOWNTOWN ATHENS • 706-546-8826 • OPEN SUNDAYS 1-5pm

In the ATL 12/30 Futurebirds (Buckhead Theatre)* 12/30 Grass Giraffes (Buckhead Theatre) 12/30 Washed Out (Buckhead Theatre) 1/30 Red Hot Chili Peppers (Gwinnett Center & Arena) * Advance Tickets Available

Friday, December 23

“Unsilent Night” Little Kings Shuffle Club Phil Kline’s brilliant composition, “Unsilent Night,” is that rare celebration of the Christmas spirit that strips away all the dross, leaving only a warm glow of togetherness. The performers and the audience are the very same group of individuals.

The instruments are boomboxes and MP3 players. The music, divided into four sections, is contained on tapes, CDs and MP3s. The assembled hit “play” at the same time, and “Unsilent Night” lends its soundscape to a 45-minute parade, with chimes and electronic wooshes drifting through the streets. It combines all the best things about the holidays—unity, generosity, peacefulness, beauty—and leaves the worst parts—namely, materialism—behind. It is, of course, free to any participants.

“The idea sort of gelled in a second,” says Kline, a veteran of the downtown New York art music scene who has toured the world as part of Glenn Branca’s think-big guitar ensemble. He authored the piece in 1992. “I was working a lot with large numbers of tape machines, and I was thinking of a big, orchestral playback piece to be installed somewhere. Then I flashed back to Christmas caroling in Silver Lake, OH, and, voila, there was the idea. A big, ambient Christmas piece.”

By virtue of the ever-changing number of participants, the acoustics of the streets they travel through and the invariably staggered moment that each recording is triggered, the performances are never the same twice. Thus, “Unsilent Night” is always special: a present for anyone within earshot.

“It’s the most emotional holiday,” says Kline of Christmas. “People are happy, sad, anxious and exhausted. I think a lot of people dread Christmas because of the commercial bombardment and social stress. And a lot of people are still little kids—afraid they won’t get what they want. I wanted to make something that would be like an unconditional free gift, as well as a sonic chill zone.”

All ages are welcome to participate. Just show up at Little Kings at 6:30 p.m. with a boombox or download one of the piece’s four submixes from www.unsilentnight.com.

[Jeff Tobias]

Meredith Snider

Down the Line

FREE PaRking in the 125 West Washington St. Deck ONLY Monday, December 19 through Sunday, January 1

Pick up a special Parking Pass available at downtown businesses (retailers, restaurants, salons) and show the Parking Pass and your purchase receipt to the Deck Attendant for FREE PaRking!

706.613.7978 DECEMBER 21, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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bulletin board DO SOMETHING; GET INVOLVED! HOLIDAY DeadlinE: The deadline for getting listed in Bulletin Board will be WEDNESDAY, Dec. 21 at noon for the double issue of Dec. 28–Jan. 4. Email calendar@flagpole.com.

ART 37th Juried Exhibition: Call for Artists (Lyndon House Arts Center) Professionally oriented art competition seeks submissions from Athens area artists working in visual media. Submit 1-3 works of art to the Lyndon House on Jan. 26 between 12:30–8:30 p.m. or Jan. 27 between 10 a.m.–4 p.m. $25 (entry fee). 706-613-3623 Call for Artists (Amici Italian Café) Seeking art for display at Amici Italian Cafe. Send inquiries to ryan.myers@amici-cafe.com.

Call for Designers and Models (ATHICA) Seeks models and designers for the “Trashy Fashion Show,” a collection of raw and recycled materials made into wearable art. Show is on Apr. 22.

Deadline to apply is Feb. 22. trashyfash@athica.org, www.athica.org/ callforentries.phpmail Call for Entries (Georgia Museum of Art) Seeking responses to the Kress Collection in all media through Feb. 1. No entry fee. $500 prize for 24 selected artists, writers, musicians, etc. See www.georgia museum.org/kressproject for details.

Call for Entries (ATHICA) “Upcycle: Dream It Out of the Waste Stream” is accepting submissions for an exhibit of fine art made from raw materials through creative re-use. Presenters and performers are also needed. Visit www.athica. org/callforentries.php to submit.

Deadline Jan. 30.

CLASSES Advanced Computer Classes (Oconee County Library) Classes by appoinment are taught one-on-one

by the library’s computer specialist and tailored to each individual’s needs. 706-769-3950, watkinsville @athenslibrary.org Athens Vertical Pole Dance Academy (Canopy Studio) Ongoing pole dance classes for beginners and intermediate students.

706-347-3708, www.avpda.com Beginning Bellydance (Whole: Mind. Body. Art.) Egyptian-style bellydance for people of all ages, sizes and fitness levels. Wednesdays, 7:30–8:30 p.m. $10. 706-424-0195, www.wholemindbodyart.com Botanically Inspired Silk Scarf Creations (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Tie one on! Learn to dye your own silk scarves. Jan. 24, 6–8 p.m. $36.

706-542-6156 Classes at Full Bloom (Full Bloom Center) Offering courses in preparing for birth, hypnobirthing and yoga. Check webside for calendar. www.fullbloomparent.com Clay Classes (Good Dirt) Weekly “Try Clay” classes ($20/person) every Friday from 7-9 p.m. “Family Try Clay” every Sunday from 2-4 p.m.

706-355-3161, www.gooddirt.net Eight Silken Qigong (Red Lotus Institute) Experience moving meditation to improve your health and harmonize your mind, body and spirit. Saturdays, 9-10 a.m. $10. www.acupunctureathens.com Figure Drawing Sessions (Fringe Collective Artistic Studios) Weekly drop-in sessions for artists wishing to draw the human figure.

Must be over age 18. Sundays, 2–4 p.m. $10. 706-540-2727, fringecollective@live.com Garden Geology (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Explore the Georgia Piedmont and Eastern Blueridge rock types found at the garden. Fee includes Rocks of

ACC ANIMAL CONTROL

150 Buddy Christian Way • 706-613-3887 JUST A FEW MINUTES FROM DOWNTOWN

Open every day 10am-4pm except Wednesday

Here’s the next best thing to snow at Christmas, two beautiful, gentle snow-white cats. The first is a very sweet and social part-Persian girl who is declawed and will need to stay indoors. The second kitty is a large, long-haired male who is very modest and quiet, but loves attention.

the Piedmont by Dan Williams.

Wednesdays, Jan. 11–Feb. 29, 4–6 p.m. $40. 706-542-6156, www.uga. edu/botgarden Gentle Hatha Drop-In Yoga (St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church) From certified instructor Mike Healy.

Tuesdays, 5:30–7 p.m. $9. 706-5430162, www.mindfuliving.org Gymnastics (Bishop Park) Registering now for the winter and spring gymnastics program. Classes offered for children ages 12 months through adults. 706-613-3589, www.athensclarkecounty.com/bishop Health and Wellness Classes (Athens Community Council on Aging) Senior-friendly Ballroom Dancing, Line Dancing, Yoga, Tai Chi and more! Go online for a complete schedule. 706-5494850, www.accaging.org Holiday Clay Classes (Good Dirt) Be productive and creative this season! Complete schedule online.

706-355-3161, www.gooddirt.net Improvisational Comedy Workshop (Floorspace) Lisa Mende, professional actress and comedian, leads an 8 week class for beginning actors. Begins Jan. 14. $120 (before Dec. 14), $160. www.floorspaceathens.com Intro to Digital Photography (Lyndon House Arts Center) Now registering for digital photography art classes. Tuesdays, Jan. 10–Feb. 14, 6:30–8:30 p.m. $93. 706-6133623, www.athensclarkecounty.com/ lyndonhouse Intro to Fantasy Illustration Class (Lyndon House Arts Center) Mark Helwig takes students through the process of producing a monochromatic fantasy illustration using traditional materials. Thursdays, Jan. 12–Feb. 16, 6:30–8:30 p.m. $83. 706-613-

Littlejohn is a charmer and has all the ladies wrapped around his little paw.

He keeps a lookout for any signs of FUN so he can be there in a flash. If there isn’t any available, he’ll make some. Need a partystarter?

33712

12/8 to 12/14

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34178

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ACC ANIMAL CONTROL 35 Dogs Received, 28 Dogs Placed!

17 Cats Received, 10 Cats Placed!

ATHENS AREA HUMANE SOCIETY 6 Cats Received, 11 Cats Placed, 0 Healthy Adoptable Cats Euthanized!

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 21, 2011

Cute and laidback ginger Tabby has a tail that is only about four inches long and he waggles it like a puppy! Very friendly six-month old kitten, playful, not shy and loves other cats.

34194

33656 more pets online at

cats.athenspets.net

Examples of porcelain painted by Edward Lycett are on display at the GMOA through Mar. 4.

3623, www.accleisureservices.com/ lyndonhouse Italian Lessons and Tutoring (Call for location) Personalized Italian lessons and tutoring for any level of Italian from Jeff Kilpatrick, Italian Instructor at UGA with a Ph.D. in Linguistics.

805-448-1657, kilpatrickjeff@ hotmail.com Monologues and More!

(Memorial Park, Quinn Hall) This program uses simple monologues, skits and improvisational scenarios to explore the benefits of drama, discover different emotional responses and build self-esteem. For teens and adults with cognitive disabilities and their caregivers. Call to register.

Mondays, Jan. 9–Feb. 13, 1–2 p.m. $30-40. 706-613-3628, www.athens clarkecounty.com/act Native Plant Symposium (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) A day-long program about gardening with wildflowers, medicinals and other native plants along with related conservation issues. Jan. 18, 8:45 a.m.–3:30 p.m. $62. 706-542-6156, ckeber@uga.edu Painting with Charles (Lyndon House Arts Center) Bring in your oil or acrylic masterpieces-in-progress to receive easel-side assistance from instructor Charles. Register by calling. Tuesdays, Jan. 10–Feb. 28, 3:30–5:30 p.m. or 6:30–8:30 p.m.

706-613-3623, www.accleisure services.com/leisure Reiki (Over the Moon Creative Possibilities) Drop in for a 10-minute, non-invasive therapy that helps to move blocked energy in the body so that the body can heal and relax.

Wednesdays, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. and Thursdays, 4–6 p.m. $10. 706540-2712 Tai Chi (Rocksprings Community Center & Park) Senior adults can learn the ancient art of Tai Chi and use flowing movements to connect the mind and body, reduce stress and improve circulation. Thursdays.

11 a.m. $3 (ACC residents). $5 (non-ACC residents). www.athens clarkecounty.com/rocksprings Watercolor Painting (Lyndon House Arts Center) Class for beginners and intermediates covering wash methods, glazes, wet-into-wet, brushstrokes and correcting mistakes. Register by calling.

Thursdays, Jan. 12–Feb. 16, 1–3 p.m. 706-613-3623, www.athens clarkecounty.com/lyndonhouse Watercolor Painting Inspired by Nature (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Designed for students with a variety of skill levels, but one should have basic experience with this medium.

10 a.m.–3 p.m. $220. www.uga.edu/ botgarden Winter Classes (Good Dirt) Now registering for clay classes, wheel throwing, handbuilding and sculpture. Classes begin January 14. 706355-3161, www.gooddirt.net Winter/Spring Art Classes (Lyndon House Arts Center) An array of beginner and advanced classes in a variety of disciplines for all ages. Register now. 706-613-3623, www.athensclarkecounty.com/ lyndonhouse Yoga Classes (Total Training Gym & Yoga Center) Classes offered in tai chi, vinyasa flow, yoga for athletes, integral hatha yoga, power flow, power lunch Pilates and power lunch yoga. Check website for dates and times. On-going. 706-316-9000, www.totaltrainingcenter.com

HELP OUT! Become a Mentor (Boys and Girls Clubs of Athens) Volunteer one hour per week to make a difference in the life of a child. Training provided. 706-546-5910, www.athensbgca.com Bring One for the Chipper (Various Locations) Bring your Christmas tree to this annual TREEcycling event! Participants receive a free tree seedling. Check website for participating locations. Jan. 7, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3501, www.keepathensbeautiful.org Drivers for Veterans Volunteers needed to drive veterans to Athens and Augusta hospitals.

Background check required. VA furnishes vehicles. Call Roger at 706-202-0587.

Food Drive (Red Cross Donor Center, 3525 Atlanta Hwy) The American Red Cross is collecting food for our neighbors and pets in need. Non-perishable food items may be donated through December.

Donations benefit Project Safe and the Athens Area Humane Society.

Monday–Wednesday, 1–7 p.m.

Thursday–Saturday, 8 a.m.–3 p.m. www.redcrossblood.org Give-a-Gift Tree (Oconee County Library) The tree will be decorated with ornaments representing books, CDs, DVDs and other supplies that the library needs. Community members are encouraged to choose an ornament from the tree and donate the cost of the item. Gifts donated in an individual’s name will include a commemorative book plate. Through December. 706-769-3950 Holiday Blood Drive (Red Cross Donor Center) Call to schedule an appointment. All donors automati-

cally entered for a chance to win two Delta plane tickets. Dec. 21–31.

1-800-733-2767-7. www.redcross blood.org Soccer Coaches Needed (Southeast Clarke Park) Volunteers needed to coach for upcoming indoor season. 706-613-3589, www.athensclarkecounty.com/leisure

KIDSTUFF Call for Submissions (Oconee County Library) Seeks poetry, art, stories or anything else creative for the Young Adult Department’s Teen Zine. Ages 11–17. Submit by Dec. 31. 706-769-3950 Family Creative Movement (Floorspace) Explore creative movement, yoga, dance improv and music for parents and children of all ages.

Wednesdays, 10 a.m. $6–12. www.floorspaceathens.com Kids’ Clay Classes (Jennifer Jangles Studio and Gallery) Now registering for six-week classes beginning Jan. 7. $120. 706-2079032, www.jenniferjangles.com Knee-High Naturalists (Sandy Creek Nature Center) A program of age-appropriate nature exploration, animal encounters, hikes and crafts.

Alternating Wednesdays, 3:30–4:30 p.m. $24. 706-613-3515, www.athensclarkecounty.com/ sandycreeknaturecenter Mama-Baby Yoga for Crawlers (Mind Body Institute) Wednesdays, 12:30 p.m. $60 (10 classes). 706-475-7329, www.armc.org/mbi National Popcorn Day (Rocksprings Community Center & Park) Participants will see an afternoon movie, eat popcorn, drink beverages and create popcorn crafts.

Ages 6–12. Register by Dec. 27.

Jan. 18, 4:30–6 p.m. $1 per person.

706-613-3603, www.athensclarke county.com/rocksprings Theatre Classes (Athens Little Playhouse) Beginning and intermediate level drama classes.

Begins Jan. 17. Tuesdays, 5–6 p.m. (beginner). Thursdays, 5–6 p.m. (intermediate).$65 (per month). athenslittleplayhouse@gmail.com Winter Explorers Mini Camp (Sandy Creek Nature Center) Children ages 4–12 participate in nature activities, arts and crafts, and hikes. Dec. 28–30, 9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. $16. 706-613-3615, www.athensclarkecounty.com/camps ZumbAtomic for Kids (Whole: Mind. Body. Art.) Mondays & Wednesdays, 6:30–7:30 p.m. $6.

706-424-0195, www.wholemind bodyart.com

SUPPORT Alzheimers Support Group (Athens Community Council on Aging) Fellowship with caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s Disease or related dementias. Lunch served. Third Tuesdays. 12 p.m. FREE! RSVP 706549-4850, mlopp@accaging.org Emotional Abuse Support Group (Call for location) 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.

Fridays, 3:30–4:30 p.m. at Aloha Counseling. Sundays, 4–5 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.

706-202-7463, www.emotions anonymous.org Mental Health Support Groups (St. Mary’s Hospital) NAMI Connections, 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month. Emotions Anonymous, 2nd and 4th Thursdays.

Thursdays, 6:30–8 p.m. 706-5401320, www.athensmentalhealth.org

ON THE STREET 2011 Downtown Parade of Lights Video (Athens, GA) A video will air on ACTV Channel 7 daily except Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1 a.m., 7 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. through Jan. 2.

Circus Athena (Call for location) Circus Athena is looking for circus talent for its production on Feb. 17 & 18. Interested performers can visit the website to set up an audition. www.circusathena.com Holiday Recordings for Families (Pigpen Studios) Bring in the whole family to sing your favorite holiday songs together and have them recorded onto a CD. Offered through December. 706-4612584, pigpenstudios@yahoo.com Win a Gingerbread House (Oconee County Library) A gingerbread replica of the historic Eagle Tavern featuring Star Wars characters will be on display through Dec. 21. $1 raffle tickets benefit the Oconee Co. Library Friends and will purchase books for the children’s department. 706-769-3950 f

TACKY CHRISTMAS SWEATERS GALORE!

We love you long time!

Come in for your next Ho Ho Ho-liday Party!

706-369-7418 • 175 E. Clayton St. 11-8pm Mon-Sat • 12-6pm Sun

ART AROUND TOWN Amici Italian Café (233 E. Clayton St.) Abstractexpressionist original acrylics by Frances Jemini.

Through December.

Antiques and Jewels (290 N. Milledge) New paintings by Mary Porter, Lana Mitchell, Taylor Dubeau and others. Through December.

Art on the Side Gallery and Gifts (1011B Industrial Blvd., Watkinsville) A gallery featuring works by various artists in media including ceramics, paintings and fused glass.

Artini’s Art Lounge (296 W. Broad St.) Vernon Thornsberry’s classical oil paintings interjected with his own life experiences. Through January.

ArtLand Gallery (2 S. Main St, Watkinsville) Works by Hatidza Mulic. Through Jan. 15.

Athens Institute for Contemporary Art (ATHICA) (160 Tracy St.) “OCCUPY: This is What Democracy Looks Like” includes works by 99 artists for $99, $9.99 and 99 cents to benefit the Occupy Wall Street Movement. Through Jan. 8.

Aurum Studios (125 E. Clayton St.) Paintings by Rich Panico and Coco. Through Jan. 17.

Big City Bread Cafe (339 N. Finley St.) Artwork by two families in the Winterville Collaborative 10.

Proceeds benefit the Empty Stocking Fund. Through December.

Ciné Bar Cafe (234 W. Hancock Ave.) Drawings and collapsible sculptures by Layet Johnson. Through Jan. 15.

Dawg Gone Good BBQ (224 W. Hancock Ave.) “Face Off Reprise” features photos of the recent Athens Face/Off show at the 40 Watt by Barbara Hutson. Through January.

Etienne Brasserie (311 E. Broad St.) Oil paintings

by Manty Dey. Through January.

Farmington Depot Gallery (1011 Salem Rd., Farmington) Owned and staffed by 16 artists, the gallery exhibits paintings, sculpture, folk art, ceramics, fine furniture and more. Permanent collection artists include PM Goulding, Anna Marino, Tom Phillips, Larry Hamilton and more.

Five Star Day Café (229 E. Broad St.) Large photo portraits and still lifes by Aaron Hart. Through December.

Flicker Theatre & Bar (263 W. Washington St.) Works by Jill Carnes. Through December.

Georgia Museum of Art (90 Carlton St.) “All Creatures Great and Small” features works depicting animals created by self-taught American artists.

Through Apr. 20. • Pioneering artist Bill Viola brought video art to greater prominence in the contemporary art world of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Through Feb. 19. • “Buon Natale” features holiday woodcuts with a distinctly Italian flavor by Libby Bailey. Through Jan. 8. • “Horizons” includes 12 androgynous, life-sized castiron figures by Icelandic artist Steinunn Dorarinsdottir.

Through Jan. 31. • Temporary display complementing “Dale Nichols: Transcending Regionalism,” featuring images of the Midwest by American artists from the permanent collection of the GMOA as well as objects on extended loan from the collection of Jason Schoen, Princeton, NJ. Through Feb. 27. • “Introduction to the Centers” is a small, daily exhibition introducing the Henry D. Green Center for the Study of the Decorative Arts, one of the four new units of the museum.

Through Mar. 4. • “Lycett China” contains 30 painted porcelain pieces by Edward Lycett. Through Mar. 4. • “Originality by Subscription,” was originally printed in l’Estampe Originale, a quarterly started in March 1893 in France. Through Dec. 31.

The Grit (199 Prince Ave.) Recent drawings by James Greer. Through Jan. 8.

Heirloom Cafe and Fresh Market (815 N. Chase St.) Artwork by Karla Pruitt. Through December.

Highwire Lounge (269 N. Hull St.) A range of watercolor aerial city views, abstract color fields and pen-and-ink drawings by Michelle Chidester.

Through January.

Hotel Indigo (500 College Ave.) “Dawgs and Dogs: The Works of Wingate Downs and Mary Engel.”

Through December.

Jittery Joe’s Coffee (297 E. Broad St.) Large portraits by Lea Purvis. Through December.

Just Pho…and More (1063 Baxter St.) “Funky Fruits and More” includes a variety of paintings, prints and new work from Pamela Rodgers Smith.

Through January.

Last Resort Grill (184 W. Clayton St.) Paintings of Athens and UGA landmarks by Heidi Hensley.

Through Jan. 2.

Lyndon House Arts Center (293 Hoyt St.) “Community,” features works of art by by students of the Clarke County School District, emphasizing the theme of community and connection. • “Deck the Walls” is a holiday-themed market on display in the Gallery Shop and Ronnie Lukasiewicz Gallery.

Through Jan. 7.

Madison-Morgan Cultural Center (434 S. Main St.) “Scapes” is an exhibition of landscapes, cityscapes and seascapes by Steffen Thomas.

Through Feb. 18.

Mama’s Boy (197 Oak St.) Original photography by Brooke Easler Bryant. Through December.

The Melting Point (295 E. Dougherty St.) Original paintings by Anthony “Garbo” Garan. Through December.

OCAF (34 School St., Watkinsville) The Artist Shoppe features the works of 35 regional artists.

Oconee County Library (1080 Experiment Station Rd.) Abstract paintings and still lifes combining Cubism and realism by Teri Levine. Through December.

Over the Moon Creative Possibilities (159 N. Jackson St., Suite 31) New gallery featuring the Georgia Theatre Art Quilt and artwork by Timothy and Jennifer Schildknecht. Through December.

Republic Salon (312 E. Broad St.) Cut paper portraits by David Broughton. Through December.

State Botanical Garden of Georgia (2450 Milledge Ave.) “Forged from Nature” is an outdoor series of sculpted garden gates by artist Andrew T. Crawford. Through Dec. 23.

StudiO (675 Pulaski St.) “Breathing Room” is a collection of landscape photography by Brian Cole.

Through January.

Trace Gallery (160 Tracy St.) Detailed and colorful artwork by Jim Barsness. Through Jan. 20.

UGA Science Library (210 DW Brooks Dr.) Scientific illustrations by Sam Davidson from Monteverde, Costa Rica in pen and ink, carbon dust and watercolor. Through December.

Visionary Growth Gallery (2400 Booger Hill Rd., Danielsville) “Drawing Pretty Pictures Is a Way to Meet God in the World Like It Is” features works

by Lois Curtis, Carter Wellborn, Peter Loose, Alpha Andrews, Betty Wansley and Annie Wellborn. Through April.

Walker’s Coffee & Pub (128 College Ave.) Artwork by Ben Harris. Through December.

White Tiger Gourmet Food & Chocolates (217 Hiawasee Ave.) Ceramic plates and sculptures

by Jasey Jones. Through December.

BeGi NNer S Wel CoM e!

No eXPer ieNCe NeCeS Sary

Wi S N Sta t e r C l a S Se 4 rt JaNUary 1 r DIR e G i S t e r N o W !

TES AVA T Y G I F I L A B T C E R T I F I C AD AY S LE FOR THE HOLI re GiSte

ww

r at 706-355-316

1

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Good dirt Gallery

open Until december 23

To: M

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This Holiday Season...

(Now thru Jan. 8th)

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AS ALWAYS KIDS EAT FREE ON SUNDAY

196 Alps Rd. • 706.354.6655

this holiday season, think local!

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450 Georgia Drive Athens, Georgia www.rwoodstudio.com hello@rwoodstudio.com DECEMBER 21, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

23

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 $575/mo. 2BR/2 private BAs. 3 min. to campus. Lg. LR, kitchen w/ DW, W/D conn., deck, lots of storage, water & garbage incl. in rent. New carpet & paint, very safe area. 145 Sandburg St. Avail 12/1. Owner/Agent. Call Robin, (770) 265-6509.

1BR/1BA. All electric apt. in historic house. 12 ft. ceilings, HVAC, built-in armoire, freshly painted BR. $450/mo. 150-3 Buena Vista. Water/trash, off-street parking incl. (706) 372-7300.

1BR/1BA apt. in private residence w/ separate entrance & parking.

Perfect for NS grad. student or young professional. All utils. (except phone), wireless internet & cable are incl. in rent. W/D access.

CHAC. Lease & dep. req. No dogs. $625/mo. Call Doug, between 5-10 pm, at (706) 424-3984.

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

Water provided. On busline.

Single pref’d. Avail. now! (706) 543-4271.

2BR/1BA off King Ave. Normaltown area. In quiet, safe n’hood. W/D, Total electric, CHAC. No smoking. No pets. $575/mo. Avail. now. (706) 8505510.

2BR/1BA & 1BR/1BA apts.

Great in–town n’hood.

Wa l k e v e r y w h e re . Wa t e r & garbage paid. $490–$695/ mo. Check out b o u l e v a rd propertymanagement.com or call (706) 548-9797.

3BR/2.5BA townhomes reduced again! On Eastside. On bus route. FP. W/D incl. Spacious & convenient. Pets welcome. Avail. immediately. Now only $600/ mo.! Aaron, (706) 207-2957.

AtlasRealEstateAdvisors.com.

Available Jan. Large 1BR Dwntn. Out of bar scene, close to everything. Historic bldg.

Light w/ large windows. DGH Properties. Call George, (706) 340-0987.

Affordable, in-town 1BR apt., just $400/mo. Very basic, but clean & quiet. Convenient ARMC/ Normaltown area, low $99 sec. dep., move in now or pre-lease, (706) 788-2152 or GaAveApts@ aol.com.

flagpole classifieds Reach Over 30,000 Readers Every Week!

Business Services Real Estate Music For Sale

Employment Vehicles Messages Personals

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

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

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

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

Affordable 1BR/1BA Normaltown efficiency apt., water & garbage p/u incl. Move in today for just $450/mo. w/ only $99 security dep. Call (706) 788-2152 or email thomas2785@aol.com.

Baldwin Village, 2BR/1BA, $ 7 0 0 / m o . a c ro s s s t re e t from UGA. Gas heat & water, central AC, laundry on premises, free on-site parking, no pets. Avail. now.

(706) 354-4261.

Eastside quadraplex, 2BR/2BA, $500/mo. & 2BR/1BA, $475/mo.

Eastside duplex, 2BR/1BA & FP, $475/mo. 3BR/2BA & FP, $650/mo. Call McWaters Realty, (706) 353-2700 or cell, (706) 540-1529.

Half off rent 1st 2 mos. w hen y ou m ent ion t his ad!

2BR/2BA apts. a few blocks from Dwntn. off North Ave. Pet friendly & no pet fee! Dep. only $150. Rent from $625-675/mo. incl. trash. (706) 548-2522, www.dovetailmanagement.com.

Loft, 640 sf. Chase Park artist complex. Granite, ceiling fans, washer, storage. Nice!

Nathan, (478) 290-6283, (478) 2 7 4 - 8 1 4 1 . Wa s $ 6 0 0 , n o w $549. Pictures on Facebook, “Bracewell Lofts.”

Commercial Property 2 Dwntn. bars for sale. 150K & 250K. Serious inquiries only. (706) 254-4343.

Dwntn. Athens bar for sale. Great location on Clayton St. Call Jack for details, (912) 604-8560.

Eastside offices, 1060 Gaines School Rd. Rent 750 sf. $900/mo., 450 sf. $600/mo. (706) 546-1615 or athenstownproperties.com.

For Lease. Prime commercial street level space in Dwntn.

Athens. 2500 sf. avail. in Jan. (706) 296-7413.

HOUSES FOR LEASE IN CLARKE COUNTY

Call for Location and Availability.

Hamilton & Associates 706-613-9001

2 Bedroom / 1 Bath Cottage Available on Milledge Avenue $600/Month CALL TODAY!

• 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

24

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 21, 2011

Paint ar tist studios-160 Tracy St. Historic Boulevard area artist community. Rent 300 sf., $150/mo. 400 sf., $200/mo. athenstownproperties.com or (706) 546-1615.

Brick duplex, 2BR/2BA, very clean, all extras. Just 2 mi. to campus on north side Athens. 1 unit avail. Pets OK. $500/mo. + dep. Call Sharon at (706) 2019093.

Condos for Rent

Heart of Normaltown! 1BR+ Bonus/1BA, $575/mo. Be the 1st to live in this completely renovated, spacious duplex. valerioproperties@gmail.com, (706) 546-6900. Priced to go!

Available Jan.1.

2BR/2BA condo apt. Eastside.

Avail now! On bus line. Lg. rooms, W/D, swimming pool on grounds, no pets. $575/mo.

(706) 207-3427.

Dwntn. Athens Luxury Condo – The Georgian. 1BR/1BA only 2 blocks from UGA’s N. Campus.

HWflrs., granite countertops, 10 ft. ceilings, stainless steel appls.

Secure bldg, parking. $199,900.

(706) 540-1150.

Studios across from campus.

Avail. Jan. 1. Call (404) 5575203.

Tw o - s t o r y 3 B R / 3 B A i n T h e Wo o d l a n d s f o r re n t . $ 4 5 0 / mo. per room. Will rent to an individual or roommates. Gated community w/ amenities near UGA. Contact ashleycleary@ gmail.com.

Condos For Sale Just reduced! Investor’s Westside condo. 2BR/2BA, FP, 1500 sf., great investment, lease 12 mos. at $550/mo. Price in $40s.

For more info, call McWaters Realty at (706) 353-2700 or (706) 540-1529.

Duplexes For Rent 5 Pts., 2BR/1BA duplex. $600/mo. Beautiful HWflrs., W/D, CHAC, ceiling fans, across street from Memorial Park. No dogs, cats OK. Avail now. Call (706) 2029805.

Avail. now! This 2BR/1.5BA duplex is located in a dead end street, ver y private w/ creek in the back. Located off Lexington Rd., mins. to Dwntn.

Huge BRs w/ walk-in closets both large enough for king size beds, approx. 1400 w/ FP. Must see inside! Call Phil for details.

(706) 540-6540 or (706) 6137545. $595/mo. All new paint & carpet throughout. Other properties avail.

TOWNHOUSES IN 5 POINTS, EAST SIDE AND WEST SIDE Call today Prices range from $ to view!

750-$1000

Hamilton & Associates 706-613-9001

DUPLEXES

C. Hamilton & Associates

706-613-9001

www.athens-ga-rental.com

AVAILABLE CLARKE & OCONEE COUNTIES Call for Availability

Hamilton & Associates 706-613-9001

Houses for Rent 194 Childs Street, 2BR/2BA. One of the best houses and locations in Boulevard, $950. 2BR/1BA, 440 Yonah. Screened-in porch, FP, W/D. Great price! $695/mo.

(706) 548-9797 or boulevard propertymanagement.com.

1 or 2BR, recently renovated, private, quiet location near Publix. All elect., CHAC, new appls., W/D, DW, HWflrs., water & garbage paid. $650/mo. www. boulevardpropertymanagement. com, (706) 548-9797.

170 N. Church St. 2BR/1BA. 4 blocks to 40 Watt/UGA. Pets OK, no fees. Fenced yd., deck, screened porch, W/D, stove, fridge. $700/mo. Dan, (516) 507-8654.

2BR/1BA cottage for rent in Nor maltown. CHAC, private off-street lot w/ dog pen. Pets welcome w/ dep. $700/mo.

(706) 372-8625.

2BR/1BA apt. for rent. 125 Honeysuckle Ln. off Broad St. near King Ave. Quiet, secluded setting. Water & trash incl. No pets. $450/mo. Lease, dep., references req’d. (706) 5404752.

2-3BR/1BA house for rent. Newly renovated. Central location at 135 Honeysuckle Lane off Broad St. across from King Ave. 1 acre lot. Pets OK w/ approval. W/D, WD, HWflrs. $595/mo. Lease, dep., references req’d. Avail. now. Call (706) 540-4752.

2BR, $750/mo. Flexible lease/ dep. Truly stellar house, must see inside. Pets OK! Fenced y d . , W / D i n c l . H a rd w o o d s / tile, modern/hip design. 226 Johnson Drive. Call (706) 3405054.

3BR/2BA. New house. Jan. rent 1/2 off! 1/4 mi. to campus, near Greenway, HWflrs., W/D, D/W, HVAC, alarm, $1100/mo. (706) 202-1113.

3 or 4BR new house, 2.5 BA. Close to Dwntn. 6 mo. lease avail. $1000/mo. Call Lance, (706) 714-4603.

RIVERS EDGE

LARGE 2BR/2BA TOWNHOUSES AND FLATS

Some units include fireplaces and Washer & Dryers. $550-$600/mo. Call Today to view.

Hamilton & Associates 706-613-9001

3BR/3BA new Dwntn. Private b a t h s , h a rd w o o d s , w a l k - i n closets. Walk everywhere! W/D & lawn maint. incl. Now preleasing for Fall 2012. $1500/ mo. Aaron, (706) 207-2957.

AtlasRealEstateAdvisors.com.

3BR/2BA, CHAC, HWfls., W/D, DW, carport, close to Dwntn./ campus, spacious, $990/mo. + dep., cats OK. Avail. now, 395 Oak St., (706) 613-8525 or (315) 750-6156.

3BR/2BA remodeled house w/ bonus rm. 320 Conrad Dr., DW, W/D, refridge., 1 mi. from Dwntn. $900/mo. + dep. or $850/mo. if paid electronically by 1st. Brian, (706) 613-7242 or Brett, (678) 232-7228.

4BR/2BA, Eastside. 120 Evergreen Terrace, Winterville. 10 min. from Dwntn. & UGA. HWflrs. $1K/mo. Avail. now. (706) 3699679, cell (706) 207-0935, or call Pam, (706) 540-3809, lv. msg.

4BR/4BA new Dwntn. Private baths, double porches, walk-in c l o s e t s , h a r d w o o d s . Wa l k everywhere! W/D & lawn maint. incl. Pre-leasing for Fall 2012. $1950/mo. Aaron, (706) 2072957. AtlasRealEstateAdvisors. com.

Awesome house! 597 Dearing St., 4BR/2BA, $1050/mo. 2045 Robert Hardman Rd., Winterville, 5BR/2BA, $1095/mo. 4BR on Whitehall Rd., $750/mo. 1045 Macon Hwy., 4BR/2BA, separate office, $995/mo. Call Nancy Flowers & Co. Real Estate, (706) 546-7946, or visit nancyflowers. com for virtual tours. You will love them!

Beautiful 3BR/2.5BA brick home in Winterville w/ appliances. WD hookup, 3.11 acres on cul de sac. $1330/mo. + $500 dep. Trash serv. No pets. 912-312-1340.

Cedar Creek: 4BR/2BA, lg. fenced yd., $950/mo. 5 Pts.: Off Baxter St., 4BR/2BA, $1200/mo.

Call McWaters Realty, (706) 3532700, (706) 540-1529.

Fall leasing: 1, 2, 3 & 4 BR houses & apts. 5 Pts. & Dwntn. See at http://bondrealestate.org. Owner Broker Herbert Bond Realty & Investment. Lic. #H13552.

Holiday special! 1 mo. free!

Lease now/pre-lease for Fall! Homes & condos avail.

Close to UGA & shopping.

On bus route. $300-550/ BR. (706) 215-6848, Bob@ CallBobAllen.com.

I heart Flagpole Classifieds!

Modern 3BR/2BA house on 3 acres. Quiet country location just 9 mi. from Dwntn. Athens. Big kitchen, LR w/ FP. W/D hookup. $950/mo. (706) 540-8461.

Reduced! 4BR/2BA, 845 W. Hancock, HWflrs., CHAC, avail. now. Pets OK! 4 blocks to Dwntn.

Pics on Craigslist. $1050/mo. Call (864) 784-3049.

Student special! Near bus line.

4BR/2BA, ample parking, fenced yd. w/ storage bldg., $800/mo. + $800 dep. Call Rose, (706) 255-0472, Prudential Blanton Properties.

War m & Cozy! Boulevard n’hood, 3BR/2BA, HWflrs., CHAC, modern kitchen, rocking chair front porch. $1200/mo. (706) 5436368.

Parking & Storage Parking places for rent across from UGA. $30/mo.

(706) 354-4261.

Rooms for Rent

Instruction Athens School of Music.

I n s t r u c t i o n i n g u i t a r, b a s s , drums, piano, voice, brass, woodwinds, strings, banjo, mandolin, fiddle & more. From beginner to expert. Instrument r e p a i r s a v a i l . V i s i t w w w.

AthensSchoolofMusic.com, (706) 543-5800.

Music Services

F re t S h o p . Professional guitar repairs & modifications, setups, electronics, precision fretwork. Previous clients incl.

R . E . M . , W i d e s p re a d P a n i c , 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.

Better than Ebay! Sell your goods locally without the shipping fees! Place your ads in the Flagpole Classifieds.

Awesome run–till–sold rate!

12 wks only the price of 4. Go to www.flagpole.com or call (706) 549-0301.

Kitchen Table Stereo since 1989, electronic technical s e r v i c e s . Va c u u m t u b e & t r a n s i s t o r a m p l i f i e r r e p a i r, effects, pedals, keyboards.

Sound system sales, service & installation. (706) 355-3071.

One roomate needed for awesome 3BR/2BA house off Prince Ave., Athens, GA. Rent $290 + 1/3 bills (~$400 total/mo.).

We have a sun room & garden.

Call (404) 667-9598.

For Sale Miscellaneous Bidders Buy Auction. New & used items, collectables, & antiques. Auctions every Fri. & Sat. 1459 Hargrove Lake Rd. in Winterville. Visit www. biddersbuyauctions.com or call (706) 742-2205 for more info.

Go to A g o r a ! Awesome!

Affordable! The ultimate store! Specializing in retro everything: antiques, furniture, clothes, bikes, records & players! 260 W. Clayton St., (706) 316-0130.

Instant cash is now being paid for good vinyl records & CDs in fine condition. Wuxtry Records, at corner of Clayton & College downtown. (706) 369-9428.

TV and Video Big screen HDTV 65 in. Mitsubishi 3-D Ready, $700. Sony 60 in. big screen HDTV, $600. Sansung 42 in. big screen HDTV, $250. Call (706) 372-0535.

Music

We d d i n g b a n d s . Quality, professional bands. Weddings, parties. Rock, jazz, etc. Call Classic City Enter tainment. ( 7 0 6 ) 5 4 9 - 1 5 6 7 . w w w. classiccityentertainment.com.

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

Musicians Wanted L o o k i n g f o r a d r u m m e r, guitarist, bass player, violinist?

Looking for a band? Find your music mate with Flagpole Classifieds! Call (706) 5490301.

Services Classes Yoga teacher training. 200 hr.

Yoga Alliance approved program in Watkinsville. 3-mo. training begins Jan. 6th. Info at www. rahasya.org or call (706) 2483910.

Cleaning ’Tis the season for house cleaning! Give your family & friends the best gift going at the best price in town.

Professional, reliable, pet & Ear th friendly.

L o c a l re f e re n c e s o n request. Text/call Nick: (706) 851-9087. Email: Nick@goodworld.biz.

Health

Nuçi’s Space needs your old instruments & music gear! All donations are tax-deductible. Call (706) 227-1515 or come by Nuçi’s Space, 396 Oconee St.

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 2 4 / 7 . A b b y ’s O n e Tr u e G i f t Adoptions, (866) 413-6293 (AAN CAN).

We buy musical instruments & equipment every day!

Guitars, drums, pro-sound & more. (770) 931-9190, www. musicgoroundlilburn.com. Huge, online inventory. We love trades!

Come visit Music Go Round soon...

B o u l e v a rd A n i m a l H o s p i t a l December Special: Board your cat 2 nights & get 1 night free! 298 Prince Ave. www. downtownathensvet.com (706) 425-5099.

Equipment

Pets

ATHENS LOCAL BUSINESSES:

Help wanted. Earn extra income assembling CD cases from home.

No experience necessary. Call our live operators now. (800) 4057619 ext. 2450 www.easyworkgreatpay.com (AAN CAN).

Eady Guitars, Guitar Building & Repair. Qualified repairman offering professional set ups, fret work, wiring, finishing & restorations. Exp. incl. Gibson & Benedetto Guitars. Appt. o n l y ( 6 1 5 ) 7 1 4 - 9 7 2 2 , w w w. eadyguitars.com.

$300/mo., 1/3 utils. in 3BR/2BA home. 5-10 min. to campus/mall/ grocery store. High speed WiFi. HD Dish Network, CHAC, W/D. Quiet n’hood, yard/garden. No drugs, no drama. 1 rm. Avail. Jan 1. Call (706) 351-2708.

Dashiell Cottages. Move–in, $75/ wk.! (706) 850-0491. River loft, all amenities, WiFi, unlimited long distance. Enjoy our river community, 5 blocks to UGA. Enjoy the wildlife observation.

E a r n $ 7 5 - $ 2 0 0 / h r. M e d i a Makeup Artist Training make–up artist for ads, TV, film, fashion.

1 wk. class. Stable job in weak economy. Details at http://www.

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

USE US or LOS E US

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

(888) 729-6151.

When you buy from local independent businesses, you are helping keep your favorite Local Athens establishments open and are contributing to the vitality of the Athens economy.

Paid in adv.! Make $1K/wk. mailing brochures from home!

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

Part-time

Follow Buy Local Athens on Facebook and email us at athensbuylocal@gmail.com to join the We Are Athens organization.

Now hiring discreet private lingerie models. Flexible schedules, no exp. needed, good working environment, upscale clientele. Unlimited ear ning potential. Call for info: (706) 6138986.

Seeking a personal assistant. i.e., miscellaneous errands, phone calls, resolving minor issues, mailings, bill payment & general organizing.You will be paid $550/ wk. Send your resume to de.bor@ aol.com.

Jobs

Vehicles

Full-time Are you a DRee and Company stylist? Our open concept salon has room for you to create and be part of the team environment you’ve been searching for.

Apply in person, 760 N. Chase St. Call center representative.

Join established Athens company calling CEOs & CFOs of major corporations generating sales leads for tech companies. $ 9 / h r. B O S S t a ff i n g , w w w. bostemps.com, (706) 353-3030.

Dos Palmas is now hiring experienced servers. Apply in person between 2–5 p.m., Mon.– Thurs. 3523 Atlanta Highway. No phone calls, please.

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.

Opportunities Disclaimer! Flagpole does its best to scout out scams but we cannot guarantee. Be careful giving out personal information.

Call to report scams, (706) 5490301.

High School diploma! Graduate in just 4 wks. Free brochures. Call now. (800) 532-6546. Ext. 97. Go to www.continentalacademy.com (AAN CAN).

Autos 1976 Camaro, gunmetal grey, beautiful head-tur ner, unique custom interior & rims. $11,111.11. New Edelbrock engine. Runs great. Call (828) 421-7466.

Misc. Vehicles 1996 GMC Jimmy 4 dr. In good cond. runs well, v. reasonable.

Reliable transportation. Call (706) 248-4649 after 2 p.m. Reasonable prices.

Cash for cars: any car/truck.

Running or not! Top $ paid. We come to you! Call for instant offer, (888) 420-3808, www.cash4car. com (AAN CAN).

Notices Messages Want to sell your produce, handmade goods or record collection? Connect directly with local residents with Flagpole Classified ads. We have low ad rates and discounts for multiple weeks! Keep it local with us.

Call (706) 549-0301 or go to flagpole.com/classifieds.

Lose your puppy? Need a date? Want to find that guy you saw at the bar last weekend?

Place your ad here.

Luxury Condos

by Hamilton & Associates

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Downtown, secured parking, fully furnished, 2br/2ba $1,450/mo. • Available Now

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Gated community of Epps Bridge, upscale living, 2br/2.5ba $1,000/mo. • Available Now www.athens-ga-rental.com • 706-613-9001

Week of 12/19/11 - 12/25/11

The Weekly Crossword 1

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ACROSS 1 Tango finale 4 Backpack part 9 Rubbed out, mob-style 14 It may be inflated 15 Borge's forte 16 Dolly the sheep, for one 17 Have dinner 18 "Return to Sender" singer 19 Huge crowd 20 Examine by touching 22 Over yonder 24 Broadcast booth sign 25 Undying flower 28 Container weight 29 Monastery leader 31 Seashell seller 32 Prepare to shoot again 34 Basket material 36 President's protectors 39 Gold digger?

40 Impending danger 41 Say more 42 Recipe word

Copyright 2011 by The Puzzle Syndicate

43 Tag along 47 Parroted again 50 Cold-weather drink 51 Distant 52 Closet article 54 Witch gathering 56 Creepy 58 Candle count 59 Put on a pedestal 60 Wear away 61 Neither's partner 62 Chipper 63 Old-fashioned 64 Like a fox DOWN 1 Ironfisted ruler 2 Spiny lizard 3 Aspen or cottonwood 4 Asparagus unit 5 Pinball error 6 Talk wildly 7 Singer DiFranco 8 Cutting-edge, as art 9 Autumn color 10 Botanist's specimens 11 Kind of evidence 12 Draw to a close

13 21 23 25 26 27 29 30 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 42 44 45 46 48 49 50 52 53 54 55 57

Poor grade Fillmore follower Magician's prop Embarrassed Quaker pronoun That girl Pub fare Nourish a baby Mess up Lab eggs "30 Rock", e.g.

Baked potato, perhaps Undertaking Roulette bet Datebook abbr.

Haunted house sound Orca habitats Golden Horde member Diner, for one Office worker Term of endearment Apollo in "Rocky" films Small cave Congressional helper Spending limit Poem of praise Pitcher's stat

Crossword puzzle answers are available at www.flagpole.com

DECEMBER 21, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

25

reality check comics Matters Of The Heart And Loins So, I’m seeing this girl. We have a lot of the same friends, but for some reason, we only met a few months ago. Things are pretty good, but I have been wanting to keep things casual because I need time to get over my last girlfriend and because I might be moving when school is over. She says that’s what she wants, too, but all signs point to “looking for a boyfriend.” Whenever I say that, she gets offended and pouts and tries to make a big point out of looking at other guys or whatever. It makes me feel weird and feel sorry for her in a way, and kind of guilty.

The thing is, I really like her, and in a lot of ways I can see myself having a serious relationship with her if I stay and if things go well.

But she does weird stuff like look through my text messages or scroll through the calls on my phone while I’m in the bathroom. I have tried to talk to her about it, always in a very nonconfrontational and non-public way (meaning that when she does this shit and other people are around or we’re partying, I wait until we’re alone and sober to try to talk to her about it), but she always blows it off, turns it into “I was joking around! You’re so serious! I thought you didn’t want to be serious?” and all that. What am I doing wrong here?

I want to be a good guy, but I feel like I can’t win with this girl.

What you’re doing wrong is trying to be honest and adult when this girl is obviously not ready. Snooping through your phone is not a joke; it’s paranoid, intrusive and weird. She’s passive-aggressive, petulant and childish.

Your reasons for keeping it casual are sound, and if she can’t hear you, then she’s just not listening.

I am in my 30s. I have a five-year-old son with my ex. We have been separated for over a year, and I am doing my best to maintain a good relationship with her, because she’s a good mom and I respect her as a person, even though we couldn’t make it as a couple. The problem is that I am ready to move on and start dating and have a personal life again, and my ex is freaking out. Please know that I love my kid and I spend as much time as I can with him. I didn’t try to go to war with her over custody, and we mostly agree on everything about raising him. Any problems we have we talk out, and, so far, it has all been smooth.

But, now that I am dating again, my ex is being super nosy, asking my friends about girls she sees me with, asking me where I am when she calls, accusing me of avoiding her, and worse. I even caught her going through my phone when she dropped my kid off last week.

Then, the other day she said, “I hope you don’t think you can just leave our son with any girl you decide to fuck.” What? Where the hell did that come from? I don’t have a girlfriend. I don’t even see anybody that I think I might get serious with anywhere right now. And I’m not dumping my son off on anybody else. I love spending time with him. But what if I met somebody I really liked? How do I handle that?

I want to keep the peace, but I have to have a life.

Baby Mama Drama

26

First, lock your phone. Put a code on that shit. Next, ask your friends not to ever discuss your dating or personal life with your ex. Even if they are her friends, too, they should be able to tell her they’re not getting involved.

It seems like your ex is only now realizing that it is really over between the two of you.

Fortunately for you, there isn’t another woman yet, because you don’t want to subject a potential new partner to old partner drama right off the bat.

Next, sit the ex down and talk this out.

Explain to her that you love your son and you respect her as a person and that she’s a great mom, but that you are going to have a personal life and you’re going to date and she’s going to have to let it happen. Make sure she knows that you will always consult her in parenting matters. Be polite, but make it very clear that this is not up for debate. She is only hurting herself by focusing on what you may or may not be doing with other women.

No matter what, remember that you have a long relationship ahead and a great kid together, so don’t let a hot topic burn this whole relationship. Good luck.

I was dating this guy for three years. He was a single dad to a two-year-old (now four), and his ex had taken off and left him and his daughter. When we started dating we were careful not to confuse her. For months I was “daddy’s friend,” and then when things got serious, I pretty much became like a mother to the girl. I moved in after a year, and the three of us got along very well as a family.

I thought we would end up married, and I was happy to raise her as my own.

Then, suddenly, a few months ago he started acting weird. In a very short time I realized that he had met somebody else, some woman from work, and he ended our relationship. I was devastated, and so was his daughter. I stayed involved with the girl anyway, taking her out on weekends and watching her some nights while he played softball or worked late.

Now he is starting to get serious with this other woman, and he is leaning on me more and more. Sometimes he doesn’t come home until the middle of the night. One night he didn’t come home at all, and crept in the door at 6:30 when his daughter was just getting out of bed.

I don’t know what to do here. I love this little girl, but I don’t think I should encourage this behavior from her dad. On the other hand, I want to maintain a relationship with her and I want her to have some stability. Help?

Not Mommy It’s great that you are able to be so nice to your ex after he treated you like he did. Yes, it is good to help out for the girl’s sake, and it must help you with the adjustment, too. But you can’t let him take advantage of the situation. Not coming home is not cool. You need to make some boundaries here and demand that he stick to them. It’s bad enough for the girl that you were living there and now you’re not. She can’t be waking up to find him not there. Sit him down, make some rules, and, for god’s sake, stand up for yourself. And limit your contact for your own sake as well.

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ DECEMBER 21, 2011

Jyl Inov

everyday people Kelly Roberts, Boutique Manager At Suska, the women’s consignment shop where she works, Kelly Roberts spends the better part of her 10-hour work day on her feet. Yet, there was a time when she had difficulty simply standing for 10 minutes. Beneath her outgoing and enthusiastic appearance, Kelly suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome, a condition characterized by persistent flu-like symptoms.

Although the disease left her isolated and practically immobile during her high school years, Kelly has since triumphed over it through ongoing treatment. Last year, she completed a degree in fashion merchandising, and now, she focuses on making each day a full one. When she isn’t working, she explores her interests in art and jewelry-making.

Emily Patrick

Flagpole: Could you describe what you do at the shop?

Kelly Roberts: Well, my job entails all aspects of a consignment store, from starting the day off cleaning to getting all the inventory ready. As a consigner, we take on inventory; so as soon as it comes in we have to examine everything. We steam it. We keep up with all the contracts. People are constantly calling and keeping track of their accounts to see what has sold, what hasn’t. Meanwhile, there are customers in the store while we’re trying to keep track of inventory, so it’s definitely a multi-tasking job where, at any minute, you have to completely switch hands.

FP: Talking to women about clothes so often, have you developed a philosophy about what clothes mean?

KR: Anybody who says clothes aren’t noticed is completely ridiculous. Even people who aren’t aware that they do something to how you perceive a person is just… they’re lying to themselves. For me, clothes are just an extension of who you are, what you’re trying to say.

FP: So, they’re a way of communicating.

KR: Yeah. What is it, the first seven seconds somebody sees you is how they assess you? So, clothes cover at least 80 percent of you, and if you’re not wearing something that’s telling them who you are, then you’re communicating something incorrect about yourself.

FP: So, you mentioned that you went to UGA. When did you graduate?

KR: Last winter. In 2010, with a fashion merchandising degree.

FP: How did you decide on that major?

KR: I knew I wanted to do something with art, and then I actually decided… Always do something you love, and one thing I absolutely loved was the show “What Not to Wear.” I was obsessed with it, and I decided one day, “I should have this be my career.” What I would love to do would be wardrobe consulting and personal organizing, where you would go and re-style someone’s wardrobe and teach them the tools of how to dress themselves and then go out and shop with them. So, it would be organizer, fashion consultant, and then, personal shopper. That still is my dream job.

FP: You said you transferred to UGA. Where did you start college?

KR: I actually started at a school in Nevada, Missouri, which is like two hours south of Kansas City. It’s an all-girls school for liberal arts that was owned by a women’s group I

www.georgiatheatre.com

215 North Lumpkin St. • Athens, GA

belong to, and so does my mother and my grandmother. So, it was a school of 300.

FP: What was it called?

KR: Cottey College. I went there to get my [associate’s degree] in art.

FP: What do you mean by “women’s group”?

KR: It’s [P.E.O.], a philanthropic educational organization that promotes education among women. My grandmother was one, which led my mother to become one, and then I became one… It’s just a great way for women to promote other women and help them succeed like they succeeded, so it’s giving back to women and really taking care of each other. You know, it’s a sisterhood.

FP: What have your experiences as a part of the group been like?

KR: Well, Cottey—I call it my foreign exchange program, because it was an all-girls school but everybody came from all around the country, and I think about 17 different outside countries were represented as well. For being somebody who lived in Marietta her whole life to go out to the farm country, pretty much, and be with girls from small towns, it was definitely an eye-opener. I got to meet people from all across the country and see how their demeanors were and how they acted and what their way of thinking was… I was actually quite known at [Cottey], because I was one of the only ones who would ever dress up. I would only wear dresses. Everybody would just wear their pajamas to class, and I could never, ever do that. I was actually house-bound for three years previous to that with an illness, so I was just like, “I am not wearing my pajamas anymore.” So, I pretty much always wear dresses, even in the winter.

I just love dressing up.

FP: Do you mind talking about what it was like to be ill for so long?

KR: No, I don’t mind at all. I actually love talking about it to bring more attention to it. It’s called chronic fatigue syndrome, and it typically affects women later in life, like 40 or 50. When I was 15, I was bedridden for two weeks, out of nowhere, and then wasn’t able to go to school… For two years, we weren’t sure what it was because it’s not typically found in adolescents, but it’s a debilitating illness. It’s like having the flu all the time—that feeling of grogginess where you have trouble thinking. You have no energy, and you can’t really sleep that well because you’re in such pain. So, I’ve had it for 10 years now. I eventually found a doctor in North Carolina who’s a specialist in it, and he diagnosed me and got me through it and got me on the right regimen. So, I wasn’t able to go to high school, and then, five years in, I got my GED, and then I went to Cottey. Each year, I’m getting better and stronger. Now, unfortunately, I’ve developed fibromyalgia.

They kind of go hand in hand. It’s where you have chronic pain all the time. Your brain is sending signals that you’re in pain, even though you might not be, but you’re thinking that you are. So, I kind of live each day like I could be in bed the next day. I try to live each day to the fullest and do exactly what I want, and I don’t [take life for granted]. A day I wake up and I’m full of energy, I just kind of rejoice and cherish.

18 & over / ID reqd. Tickets available online and at Georgia Theatre Box Office

ThurSDAY, DeCeMBer 29 NeW eArTh AND GATh PreSeNT

GrAMATIk BreAk SCIeNCe AND

DOOrS 8:00pm • ShOW 9:00pm

frIDAY, DeCeMBer 30

Three fOOT SWAGGer DOOrS 8:00pm • ShOW 9:00pm

SATurDAY, DeCeMBer 31

rePTAr & frIeNDS

WITh VeLVeTeeN

PINk & QurIOuS

DOOrS 8:00pm • ShOW 9:00pm

frIDAY, JANuArY 6

BOBBY COMPTON

WITh Jeff VAuGhN AND CreSTON MAXeY DOOrS 8:00pm • ShOW 9:00pm

SATurDAY, JANuArY 14 BACk TO SChOOL PArTY WITh

eDDIe AND The PuBLIC SPeAkerS WITh SPeCIAL GueST

JOhAN GreCO LefT

AND BeAr

DOOrS 8:00pm • ShOW 9:00pm

WeDNeSDAY, JANuArY 18

zOSO

DOOrS 8:00pm • ShOW 9:00pm

COMING SOON 12/30 fuTureBIrDS (AT BuCkheAD TheATre) 1/19 MIMOSA with LuNICe 1/20 WOODfANGS, INTerNS & hOLY LIArS 1/21 uGA herO’S BuLLDOG BrAWL (BOXING) 1/25 COLT fOrD 1/26 eMANCIPATOr 1/27 YAChT rOCk reVue

1/30 TYChO 2/2 CArOLINA ChOCOLATe DrOPS 2/4 zOOGMA and POLISh AMBASSADOr 2/9 SISTer hAzeL 2/11 MeDeSkI, MArTIN & WOOD 2/13 TOM GreeN 2/17 Of MONTreAL 2/24 SAM BuSh

Emily Patrick

DECEMBER 21, 2011 · FLAGPOLE.COM

27

NEVER TRUST A FAT MAN IN A RED SUIT WITH A BULGING SACK THAT WANTS TO COME IN YOUR CHIMNEY.

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Located on the Corner of Lumpkin and Washington Across from Georgia Theatre

Open Mon-Sat Noon-2am • www.allgoodlounge.com Please Drink Responsibly.

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706-543-1433 • 128 COLLEGE AVE.