42 CERTIFIED GEORGIAN: HOW CHET ATKINS HELPED SHAPE MODERN MUSIC, AND HOW GEORGIA HELPED SHAPE HIM
PHOTO COURTESY OF MERLE RUSSELL AND THE ESTATE OF CHESTER B. ATKINS
CONTENTS
Chet Atkins, as everybody knows, made good. A new exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville tells the story of a famous professional guitarist whose musical imagination was so broad that not only country, but pop, jazz and other musically sophisticated styles fell well within its reach, and whose influence—as a player, producer and record executive and a person— extended in a thousand different directions. But also, from this assem blage of Atkins facts and artifacts, an argument can reasonably be made that Georgia is second only to Tennessee in shaping his storied life and career. By Jewly Hight
(L-R) CHET ATKINS WITH SISTER NIONA AND BROTHER LOWELL, 1935
24 Q&A: THE BALLAD OF BUTCH WALKER CARTERSVILLE’S FAVORITE SON RETRACES HIS HISTORY Butch Walker is arguably among the most respected singer/songwriters in the business, despite the fact that he’s never had another hit single and none of his solo albums has ever charted in the Top 100. Through a combination of tenacity, talent and sheer dumb luck, he’s managed to carve out a remarkable track record as a co-writer/producer for other artists, running the gamut from alternative and hard rock to Top 40 pop. That success, in turn, has given Walker the creative freedom to release a string of increasingly well-reviewed solo albums. By Bret Love
DEPARTMENTS 6
QUARTERLY REPORT The latest from studios and stages around the state and beyond, from significant awards to era-ending announcements.
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FRONT PORCH The gospel according to Karen Peck & New River.
14
GET TO KNOW Wesley Cook, Rico Love, Lera Lynn.
20 BIZ
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YOUR PAST COMES BACK TO HAUNT YOU JOHN FAHEY IN GEORGIA Universally praised for developing a uniquely American “voice” on the steel-stringed acoustic guitar, John Fahey was a “primitive visionary” whose revolutionary style laid the foundation of an entire school of folk-based instrumental guitarists. No less an icon than Pete Seeger called Fahey “a stubborn genius” in a testament to the instrumentalist’s talent and temperament. While born in Maryland, Fahey spent his latter years in Georgia—and through a new compilation from Dust To Digital, that connection continues to flourish. By Doug Deloach
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2 + 2 = AMAZING ATHENS ROCKERS PROVE ‘MATH’ IS HARD—AND HARD TO RESIST Athens made its name in the ’80s with fun, party bands, known for pop songs, as warped as they may have been for the times. And in the ‘90s, the psychedically playful Elephant 6 collective took center stage. But there’s a heavier, louder Athens that’s always existed, and at the heart of the current batch is Hello Sir Records, a label whose artists have a particular affinity for math rock, an arty and jazz-inflected offshoot of punk rock characterized by complex rhythms, spiky melodies, dissonant chords, rapid and often surprising stop-and-start time changes. By Chris Hassiotis
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The Georgia Theatre re-emerges on the Athens downtown scene.
22
ROAM Columbus celebrates its heritage and keeps it real.
47 EDUCATION Roswell’s Ragamuffin strikes a chord with the preschool set.
48 CALENDAR 50 REVIEWS Casper & The Cookies, Dex Romweber Duo, Drive-By Truckers, Dust To Digital, Dodd Ferelle, Gringo Star, Van Hunt, Indigo Girls, Kevn Kinney, Kuroma, Larkin Poe, MC Chris, R.E.M., Reptar, Rich Robinson, Matthew Sweet, The Whiskey Gentry, Witches, Young Antiques
60 CHANGES Does the traditional record store have a future?
EDITOR’S NOTE
Some sound investment advice…
I
n the ragged economy that has us all struggling to make ends meet, what’s the tipping point that moves an individual to decide to make a contribution to a worthy cause? Sometimes for me it’s an emotional jolt, as when the news of a friend’s cancer diagnosis finally motivated me to write a check to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center after they’d been sending me those personalized mailing labels for years. Other times I give because I discover, or rediscover, something that affects my family’s quality of life—as with my recent introduction to Decatur’s Farm To School program, which has my former sandwich-eating eight-year-old enjoying healthy lunches five days a week. But in each and every case, I give because an organization has created value for me. The Georgia Music Foundation, a 501(c)3, is committed to programs of preservation, education and outreach, which includes the publishing of Georgia Music magazine each quarter. If there is value for you in these pages celebrating Georgia’s legends, landmarks and unsung heroes, then I urge you to make an end-of-year contribution of $25. Your generosity will not only help sustain this magazine, but it will also contribute to the Foundation's 2012 goals to continue documenting Georgia's rich music heritage, as well as provide a series of grants to other music-related non-profit organizations making a difference in communities throughout the state. I hope you’ll agree that Georgia music is an emotional jolt, whether it’s cranking up the volume and listening to Jeff Mangum warble “Two-Headed Boy” for the thousandth time, sitting in the audience at an Atlanta Symphony Orchestra performance or watching the kids at Pepperland Music Camp perform their songs onstage. If you feel the same way, please make today the day you are moved to make a contribution online at georgiamusicmag.com or by using the form on page 46. On behalf of the board of the Georgia Music Foundation, I thank you for your consideration and I hope you will join us on our 2012 journey to support and nurture music in Georgia.
EDITOR Lisa Love lisa@georgiamusicmag.com MANAGING EDITOR Reid Davis for Tastemaker Communications editor@georgiamusicmag.com MUSIC EDITOR Bret Love bret@georgiamusicmag.com ART DIRECTOR Rob Herrema for Mudhouse Design rob@mudhousedesign.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Candice Dyer Chris Hassiotis Jewly Hight James Kelly Austin L. Ray Lee Valentine Smith Alan Sverdlik DeMarco Williams PUBLISHER Georgia Music Foundation, Inc. Lisa Love, Chair Dallas Davidson, Vice-Chair Charlie Gatlin Jim Gillis Dinah Gretsch Karla Redding-Andrews P. O. Box 78850 Atlanta, GA 30357 ADVERTISING llove@georgia.org 404-962-4051 WEBSITE GeorgiaMusicMag.com SUBSCRIPTIONS $15/year GeorgiaMusicMag.com Georgia Music Magazine P.O. Box 78850, Atlanta, GA 30357 © 2011 Georgia Music Foundation, Inc. Content may not be reproduced without permission. All rights reserved. ISSN 1939-8158
4 | GEORGIA MUSIC
PHOTO BY ED COLVER
QUARTERLY REPORT
creative package, commissioned by Macon’s Gateway Initiative, with a video produced by Bright Blue Sky Productions, has also earned four Bronze Telly Awards. The honors earned were in the Charitable/Non-Profit, Sound/ Design,Videography/Cinemat ography and Campaign/Nonfor-Profit categories. To see the video, hear the song and download a copy for yourself, please visit ItsHotterHere.com, which also hosts a complete list of song credits.
R.E.M., CIRCA 1984
Stand in the place where you were… Seemingly out of the blue, Classic City alternative-rock pioneer R.E.M. called it a day on Sept. 21 via an announcement on the band’s website, remhq.com. It turned out that the decision had been made months before, when remaining band members Michael Stipe, Mike Mills and Peter Buck convened in Athens to record three new songs for a greatest-hits compilation. (Drummer Bill Berry left the band in 1997.) “A wise man once said—‘the skill in attending a party is knowing when it's time to leave,’” Stipe noted. “We built something extraordinary together. We did this thing. And now we're going to walk away from it.” According to band member statements, the decision had nothing to do with any interpersonal strife or acrimony; it was simply time to retire. “We've made this decision together, amicably and with each other's best interests at heart,” Mills said. “The time just feels right.” Speaking of that greatest hits compilation, on the heels of the retirement announcement, the band’s now-former label Warner Brothers announced a two-disc, 40-song “definitive” compilation spanning the band’s 31-year existence, called R.E.M., Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage, 1982-2011. The release date has been set for Nov. 15. The three new songs, “A Month of Saturdays,” “We All Go Back To Where We Belong,” and “Hallelujah” were recorded over the summer with Garret “Jacknife” Lee, producer of Accelerate and Collapse Into Now, the band’s final two studio albums.
SOUL’D OUT
(L-R) TONY REYES, CHUCK LEAVELL, PETER STROUD 6 | GEORGIA MUSIC
A song and video created to promote Macon has earned some national recognition. “A Little More Soul,” penned by bassist Tony Reyes, produced and arranged by drummer Steve Moretti and performed by a who’s who of local talent, including violin virtuoso Robert McDuffie, Chuck Leavell and Peter Stroud, has won a Silver National Addy award in the Elements Of Advertising category. The
FLOCO TORRES
MACON HONORS FLOCO TORRES In related news, the Macon Music Competition, also sponsored by Macon’s Gateway Initiative, selected hip-hop artist Kevin “Floco Torres” Williams as the winner of its $25,000 prize package. The honor was announced at the Sept. 10 Otis Redding Evening of Respect Gala, which prompted Torres to post “I hope you’re lookin down at this awesome night in your honor” on his Twitter page after posting thanks for the award. The 23-year-old Macon artist’s current album, Floco’s Modern Life, was funded entirely by fan donations, via Kickstarter.com.
DON’T ‘PANIC’ Hard touring Athens jam-rock veterans Widespread Panic
GET TO KNOW
PHOTO BY APRIL TURNER
NICE GUYS FINISH FIRST: WESLEY COOK ON BUSKING, ROLLING STONE AND BEING ONE OF ATLANTA’S MOST ELIGIBLE BY BRET LOVE
S
inger/songwriter Wesley Cook may just be the “Next Big Thing” to come out of Athens, despite the fact that his earnest music sounds nothing like what you might expect to emerge from the Classic City scene. Cook has been kicking around said scene for over half a decade now—his 2005 debut album, We’ve Been Here Before, earned him a Best Solo Artist nomination at the Athens Music Awards—but it wasn’t until this year that a broader audience really started to take notice of his laid-back, infectiously positive sound. The primary reason for the sudden surge of interest is Rolling Stone magazine’s Street To Stage competition. The contest scoured the nation to find the best and brightest unsigned street musicians, ultimately selecting eight standout singer/songwriters from all around the country as semi-finalists. After the votes were tabulated, Cook was named one of four finalists, all of whom are competing for a chance to perform on the Rolling Stone Rock Room stage at the 2012 South By 14 | GEORGIA MUSIC
Southwest music festival. Cook, who has played his fair share of venue gigs over the years as well, couldn’t be more excited about getting such amazing national recognition. “It's really helped me bring more attention to what I'm doing and maybe has helped people take me more seriously,” he says. “It's been very touching to see the amount of support that's out there for me. Even if I don't go any farther in this contest, I've won a lot already.” (Note: Contest results had not been announced as of our deadline.)
‘MAN MEAT’ Around the same time news of Cook reaching the Street To Stage finals was released, he also received recognition from local publication Jezebel. But this time, the honor had a lot less to do with his music than it did with his level of physical attractiveness: He was named one of the lifestyle magazine’s “Most Eligible Atlantans of 2011,” and as of this issue’s press deadline a date with him was
PHOTO BY ELLIOTT ANDERSON
BIZ
Back and better than ever THE GEORGIA THEATRE’S TRIUMPHANT RETURN BY CHRIS HASSIOTIS
W
hen the Georgia Theatre burned to nothing but a shell after an electrical fire in June 2009, Athens didn't lose just another stage for musical acts, another late-night watering hole or another historical building. It lost one of the most prominent engines of local commerce, a venue capable of bringing hundreds of people a night to the downtown area who might have otherwise stayed home and reached for the remote control. Owner Wilmot Greene could’ve moved on. The fire, which took the better part of a day to extinguish, destroyed everything but the exterior structure—a structure which occupied its hilltop location facing the heart of downtown since it was built as a YMCA in 1889. But rather than consign the memories of Widespread Panic, Dave Matthews Band, The Police, Pylon, Bubba Sparxxx and R.E.M. shows (among many, many more) to history, Greene decided to rebuild. “I had a lot of doubts,” says Greene, who bought the Theatre from previous owner Duck Anderson in 2004. “I didn't think it was financially feasible. All business is built on margins, and when I would run the numbers, the margins were close. At first we raised money through donations and fundraisers. We raised about five percent [of the total project cost], and it’s ironic that that's about what we needed after the bank financing not doing everything.” On Monday, Aug. 1, the renovated and upgraded Georgia Theatre opened for business to a sold-out crowd. Athens performer Madeline Adams was the first artist to perform on the new stage, and reclusive Athens pop band The Glands, a favorite of Greene’s, headlined the night for their first show in seven years. The entire revitalization project cost $4.5 million. “That used to be such a big stage,” Lucas Jensen said that night, “and I can't believe they made it even bigger. It looks great!” Jensen drums for the band Venice is Sinking, who used the Georgia Theatre as a recording space—only months before the fire—for the album, Sand & Lines: The Georgia Theatre Sessions, released last year. 20 | GEORGIA MUSIC
Upstairs upgrade In fact, much of the Georgia Theatre looks the same, but newer, bigger and more modern. The venue can now house more than 1,000 people, features two separate balcony levels, bars on all floors, an elevator and a rooftop bar and restaurant run by Ken Manring of Athens barbecue joint White Tiger. The building also incorporates a significant amount of recovered material from the original structure—for instance, a photo gallery behind the marquee uses wood recovered from the original bars in the frames of its pictures. Some still show charred and damaged surfaces. “Building the Theatre back as it was [would have been] illegal,” says Greene, referring to its outdated infrastructure. “We couldn't do it. We had to have an elevator, more bathrooms, stairs wider… it’s amazing how many of those things drive the cost. It really serves the same functions. Those costs aren’t things that make us more money except for the rooftop, which really helps. Adding the rooftop was financially necessary. But creating those additional revenue streams complicates the historic aspect. The rooftop made it possible for the whole venture to make it feasible, but eliminated us from being viable or eligible for any sort of historic tax incentives.” The renovated Theatre, which provides approximately 50 employees with full-time jobs and 30 with part-time jobs, has also adopted a number of new policies to reflect its new approach, including no re-entry, no beer on tap, and earlier show times. “It's the 21st century,” says Greene, “and it used to be cool to go to a dive. I realized it had to appeal to a broader demographic. I tried my best to design a facility to appeal to a bigger amount of people.” The Atlanta firm Davis Architects designed the project. It’s the same firm that designed the new downtown Athens parking deck located immediately behind the Georgia Theatre. Before the fire, the firm consulted with Greene to ensure that the deck complemented the Theatre. Due to his familiarity with them, and the quality of their proposal, he says, Greene chose to work with Davis and lead architect Joe Herman.
ROAM
COLUMBUS MUSICIAN ASHLEY PINCKNEY
'We don’t try to be anyone but who we are' COLUMBUS GROOVES TO ITS OWN SOULFUL, BLUESY RHYTHM BY CANDICE DYER
A
city’s musical renaissance usually occurs over time, in fits and starts, like an all-night, free-form jam session, before finding its groove. For Columbus, the tempo grew decidedly upbeat in 1992 with two developments: the bustling success of The Loft, and the listing of Ma Rainey’s house on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, both of these storied spots, along with others such as the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts, the Springer Opera House, and the Liberty Theatre, showcase local and touring talent in this revamped and revitalized, but still irresistibly rowdy, mili-
tary city in the Chattahoochee River Valley—a region that has produced standards such as “The Columbus Stockade Blues” and nurtured entertainers as diverse as Robert Cray, Marilyn McCoo, Washboard Willie, rockabilly fiddler Curley Money, country duo Darby and Tarlton, and Dallas Austin. “We have acts from Nashville and Europe—The Heavies from the U.K. are coming—to record here, to get that Columbus Sound,” says Buddy Nelms, a genial, ponytailed man-about-town who founded The Loft, a performance venue with a recording studio, as a sort of musical “import/export” hub befitting a port city. He estimates that various entertainers log about 30 hours a week with his world-class analog and digital sound equipment. The Columbus Sound, he explains, is “soulful, original, people-oriented, with deep roots in the southern, Hammond B-3 organ—we don’t try to be anyone but who we are,” he says, and it is seasoned by salt-of-the-earth homefolk like blues artist Precious Bryant and R&B diva Peggy Jenkins, admired for her amplitude of form and attitude. “All of it, including the slick, overproduced pop, has its place in music,” Nelms says, “but I’m personally more interested in enjoying a soulful, gospel song than just waiting for a gold record to hang on a wall. Here, we live with this music deeply ingrained all around us, and that’s the blessing of it. Our mission is to foster it, share it, and improve the quality of life for everybody—touring artists, downtown visitors, and Precious, who needs some upgrades on her home.”
A house painted blue
GERTRUDE “MA” RAINEY HOUSE AND BLUES MUSEUM
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A short walk from The Loft is the Gertrude “Ma” Rainey House and Blues Museum—a starred destination on any music-lover’s pilgrimage—which almost was lost to civic neglect. “It was about to fall in when the city purchased it for $4,000,” says Florene Dawkins, chairwoman of the nonprofit “Friends of the Ma Rainey House.” “That vote was controversial though, and split along racial lines, because some of the city council members didn’t even know who Ma Rainey was and saw no reason to save